Hooves, Plush and Magic: The Untold Tales
by Harry Leferts
Summary: This is the place for side stories, origin tales and plot bunnies for my fic: "The Wizard and the Lonely Princess". So come on in, take a look around and grab a cider.
1. Ripper's Lesson

_Here we go with the first chapter. This takes place a few months after chapter 5 where Nightmare possessed a plushy but before Hogwarts._

_Disclaimer: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is owned by Hasbro and Harry Potter is owned by JK Rowling._

"Hello"-Normal Speaking

"_Interesting..._"-Nightmare Moon speaking

'Huh.' -Normal thoughts.

'_All mine..._' Nightmare Moon's thoughts

* * *

Watching as Luna brings over the first aid kit they have stashed under a loose floorboard to Harry, Nightmare scowls as she looks over the scrapes on him. Seeing this, Harry gives her a slight smile. "They're not as bad as they seem."

Taking the kit from Luna, Harry opens it and takes out a cotton swab and places some alcohol onto it. Nightmare's scowl if anything grows as Harry hisses while gently cleaning a scrape. "_That accursed mongrel chased you up a tree and they __laughed__!_" She then gains a nasty grin. "_Oh, soon they won't be laughing…_"

Harry just sighs in defeat. "Nothing I say will or could possibly change your mind, could it?" Nightmare's cocked eyebrow and smirk is answer enough causing him to shake his head. "Why do I even bother to try?"

Luna just pats him on the knees before grabbing a band aid and placing it on a scrape with some antibiotic cream as she sighs. "I feel your pain…"

Nightmare waits until the next day, a school day, to put her plan into motion as Harry would be out of the line of fire. Once she hears him walking out the door, she grins as she puts her plan into action. Climbing up onto the window sill, she takes a breath before leaping off. Landing on the ground behind some bushes, she chuckles as her plush body didn't even scuff. '_Now then… where's that window…_' Sneaking through the bushes, she stops under the open kitchen window and hears Petunia and Harry's "Aunt" Marge talking. '_There we go…_'

"… I swear Petunia, you and my brother are a better people then me. Taking in that tramp of a sister's of yours kid and all."

A sound of dishes being done drift in. "Ah, well, blood and all."

"Yes, yes. Me? I would have dropped him off at the nearest orphanage if not in some alleyway. In fact, I might have well been tempted to do as I do with any defective pups I have! Just throw him in the river and be done with it!"

The sound of the dishes being done stops for a split moment before continuing. "Yes well, I owe it to my parents at the least."

A snort comes out. "Bah! It's obvious that they didn't know what they had." Another snort. "And they wasted all that money on her when it could have gone to you and my brother. Probably spent it all on drugs and such she did." A moment of silence was broken by the sound of something glass being set on the table. "Does Vernon have any more of that lovely rum of his Petunia? I do believe that I need another pick-me-up!"

"Um… yes, he does as a matter of fact. It's in the den. Would you like me to go get it?"

Nightmare raises an eyebrow as she gets the feeling that Petunia is actually quite uncomfortable. '_Perhaps she still does have some sisterly feelings…_' She then shrugs. '_Then again, she just might not like that fat cow all that much. Can't blame her for that._'

A grunt comes out of the window. "That would be lovely Petunia." As she continues to lay there, hidden under the bushes as she hears Marge continue on with her ranting, she keeps wanting to perform some form of harm onto the woman. The only thing that stops her being that she's in a weakened state. Though she does promise herself that if she ever gets the opportunity once back to full power, she'll give Marge a _personal_visit. After a few hours of this, Nightmare finally gets a break as the sound of a chair scrapping against the floor echoes out the window. "Ah, time to let Ripper out for his washroom break."

Smiling, Nightmare's eyes nearly glow in the shadow of the bush. '_Excellent… It's time for the first stage…_' Dashing across the lawn, she hides in some bushes near a hole that another dog had dug a few weeks before. Her grin becomes more vicious as she sees Ripper come out the back door. '_It's time to start then…_'

She then takes a stick and starts whacking it against the bush and chuckles as she sees Ripper turn in her direction before sticking her head out of the bush so that's it's visible to him and no one else. Growling, he starts tearing across the lawn towards her. She turns to the hole as she can hear Marge laughing. "Well look at that, Ripper must have seen a cat or a rabbit or something. Go get it boy!"

Ripper is nearly on Nightmare before she dives down into the hole and out the other side, making sure to whack Ripper on the snout causing his rage to grow. It grows even more as he smells the boy his mistress hates on Nightmare. "_That's right you filthy beast. Let's see you try me on for size._" Nightmare then leads him on a merry chase across the backyards of several houses as back at #4, Marge calls out for Ripper. Seeing an open shed, she runs into it with Ripper behind her. As he gets in, an indigo glow surrounds the doors before they slam shut, a rake falling down and jamming them closed. Yelping, Ripper turns back to get out, going so far as to scrabble at the door. He stops as he hears soft footsteps heading towards him and looks up to see two glowing green eyes in the darkness of the shed on a nearby shelf as they . Then a soft glow begins to fill the air as the fur on his neck stands on end before he whines. "_Oh… You thought that you were a big __bad__ Alpha going after __my__ Harry…_" Nightmare then stops with a sadistic grin on her face as Ripper slowly sways before falling to the ground asleep. "_Too bad for you… I'm __much __**badder**__…_" She chuckles darkly as she steps towards him. "_Welcome to Nightmare's Dog Training 101. First lesson: Why you should not attack my Harry..._"

Out on the street, Marge is calling for Ripper when a bone chilling howl cuts through the air. "RIPPER!" Rushing towards where she heard it, she sees the shed and can hear him yelping and howling. Reaching it, she grabs the knobs and yanks on them again and again until the door flies open revealing Ripper curled up into a ball, unharmed, and shivering with whimpers coming from his mouth. "Oh, Ripper! Mommy's here…" Looking around the shed, she ignores the shed's owner coming up yelling at her before she turns and starts yelling at them, neither noticing a small black shape streaking from the shed into the nearby bushes, though Ripper does and whimpers as he tries to curl more into himself. '_Heh. Too easy._'

Later that night, Marge is settling in to go to sleep before she scowls at the sound of Ripper under the bed. "That boy must have had something to do with this. After all, why would my darling baby run away at the sight of him!" She snarls a bit. "He's no good!"

Closing her eyes, she goes to sleep and soon the room is silent except for her snores and Ripper's whimpers. As the clock reaches midnight, he freezes as he sees the door open revealing Nightmare there with a grin. Backing up, he scrambles into the closet and hides there causing her to chuckle. "_Good mutt._" Spying Marge, she sneers. "_And now it's your turn… now let's see how you like it when the tables are turned…_" Hopping up onto the bed, Nightmare's horn glows as she grins down at Marge, her eyes dancing with glee.

Inside her dream, Marge opens her eyes to find that she's now around four feet tall causing her to scowl. "What the bloody hell is going on here! Where am I!" A moment later, she finds herself being lifted into the air by a large, furry hand before finding herself before what looks like a humanoid bull dog with green, slitted pupil eyes. "Put me down you beast!"

The creature just snorts at her before sneering. "_A runt. Bah! No good._" It then grins in a familiar manner until Marge recognizes that it's speaking in _her_ normal adult voice. "_Ah, well. I know what to do with useless runts like you._"

It begins walking as Marge struggles until it reaches a river and pulls out a burlap sack. Realizing what's about to happen, Marge's struggles increase before she's shoved into the bag. "No! PLEASE NO! GAHHHH!" She soon finds herself and the sack thrown into the air for a moment before it hits the water. Still struggling inside, Marge and the sack slip beneath the surface. And as her air runs out and the burlap sack entangles her, Marge finds her vision slowly darkening until blackness and cold overwhelms her…

Only for her to wake up in her bed breathing heavily and soaked with sweat, the sheets entangled with her limbs. Wild eyed, she looks around every which way. Until slowly her breathing comes under control and her heart starts to calm. Finally she lays back and pulls the covers over herself once more. "Just a dream… that's all it was…. Just a dream…"

Slowly, sleep once more claims her as Nightmare steps out from the shadows, her horn still glowing. "_Oh, we're not done yet little thing. Not by a far shot. After all… no one says that __my__ Harry should have been killed or sets a mongrel on him and gets away with it that easily… Now then, what shall I use next? Hm… Since you're an animal abuse…_"

The next morning, Harry's at the windowsill watching as Marge's car tears down the street, nearly running some people over before rounding a corner and disappearing from sight. "You know what? I'm not going to ask what you did Nightmare, because I think that I'm better off not knowing."

Chuckling, Nightmare settles into the sheets. "_Let's just say… I put her on the opposite end of her cruelty and leave it at that…_" She then softly sighs as Luna gives her an inquiring gaze. "_Now, if you'll excuse me… I have some rest to catch up on. Yesterday was a __long__ day…_"


	2. The Four Stars

_Disclaimer: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is owned by Hasbro and Harry Potter is owned by JK Rowling._

"Hello"-Normal Speaking

"_Interesting..._"-Nightmare Moon speaking

'Huh.' -Normal thoughts.

'_All mine..._' Nightmare Moon's thoughts

* * *

Walking through the halls alongside her teacher, Twilight takes a moment to glance outside causing her eyes to widen. "Wow! You did an incredible job tonight with the Moon Princess Celestia! It's so bright!" A moment later she looks away with a blush. "Um… not to say that you usually don't do a great job that is."

Celestia merely chuckles. "I thank you for the compliment my faithful student." Taking a look herself out a window, Celestia finds herself surprised to find that her student is correct. The Moon itself was positively _glowing_. A split moment later the expression of shock disappears before she turns back to her student. "Now then, about your assignment for tomorrow…" Later that night, Celestia is on her balcony looking up at the sky in thought. 'How odd… the seal is not any weaker than it should be and yet…' Stiffening for a second, she soon relaxes. "I should have known that you would visit me tonight."

A soft snort sounds. "Do not flatter yourself Princess." A pause. "Our Lady of the Night does seem happy though."

Looking up, Celestia notes that there's a beauty in the sky that has not been there for centuries. "The seal has weakened, but not enough for this to happen."

A slight chuckle. "While our Lady's connection with the night has weakened, it has not been severed. As the seal weakens, her emotions will affect the Night." Celestia nods only for the voice to continue. "Wondering what might make her so happy?"

Celestia just shakes her head looking down as a small tear drops from her eye. "Not particularly. I am glad that she's happy with something. Perhaps a nice dream?"

There's a moment of silence before the voice makes itself known. "Perhaps."

For a few minutes all that's heard is silence until Celestia begins to speak again. "You know, I think that my sister would be happy and pleased as to the loyalty demonstrated by you and your fellow Night Guards."

Celestia turns to see a slightly transparent Pegasus Mare with bat wings and what looks like small horns sticking from her mane. The mare narrows her eyes in an indignant expression. "She has _earned _our Loyalty Princess. Many times over." She then softens as she gazes back at the moon. "She accepted us and so we shall wait and guard over our Lady."

Celestia softly whispers. "A thousand years is a long time for anyone." She then shakes her head. "Why the Elements…"

The mare is silent for a moment before speaking, what she says shocking the Princess. "Because we asked them to. In that moment when she was sealed we begged them to as it was our duty…" The mare looks down in sadness before once more giving Celestia a stony gaze. "And our punishment."

Celestia shakes her head. "A self imposed punishment. You were never at fault."

An angry snort is all that answers her as the mare takes a step. "We could have prevented our Lady's fall!" The mare looks away. "And yet we failed."

Raising a hoof as if to comfort her, Celestia stops and puts it back down. "Still. A thousand years away from your family…"

The mare gives her a look. "'Family'? What family?" She then glares as her wings spread out. "Have you forgotten exactly _why_ I joined the Night Guards _Princess?_" Celestia looks down as she hisses at her. "Do you… remember?"

Celestia nods as she softly whispers to the ghostly figure before her. "I do." She then turns and looks out over Equestria. "I've worked many years since then so that what you went through wouldn't happen again Typhoon. Even the stories about your Grandsire have changed over the years."

Typhoon sneers. "Ah yes, Grandfather Hurricane. May his soul stay icy." She too then looks out over Equestria. "Though I doubt that even now the people would accept one such as I or Talon." She snorts in derision. "After all… they never accepted half-breeds before."

Celestia flinches some. "That was unfair of them. Particularly with how your parents gave their lives against Discord."

Typhoon gives her a glance before scowling. "Please Princess. I had two marks against me." She glares at the surrounding countryside. "Not only was I the grand child of one of the most hated Pegasi, but I was born of a union between Pony and Dragon." She shakes her head. "And Talon was the child of a Pegasus and a Griffin." A bitter chuckle winds up leaving her throat. "Is it any wonder that me and Talon, Juniper and Krys all became her guards? Outcasts one and all. Us and our Lady."

Celestia grimaces. "I always hated that."

Typhoon shrugs. "Perhaps." She then gives Celestia a small smile. "But then, that is why we never hated you. Dislike you at times, yes. Hate? No." She shakes her head before giving Celestia a glance. "You were the only one other than our Lady to give us respect and kindness."

Celestia gives a nod before noticing Typhoon glancing over her shoulder. "It's time, isn't it?"

Typhoon nods as she slowly fades, the star on her armor glowing brighter. "Yes Princess." She then nods her head. "Until the next time Princess Celestia. Take care of our Lady's night for us and her."

Blinking away some tears, Celestia nods as the mare disappears entirely, leaving behind only the bright star that had been on her armor before it rises and joins with three others in the night sky around the Moon. "I will." She then takes one last look at the Moon, and in particular the mare shaped shadow on it. "Only a while longer Luna… then you'll return to me." Hanging her head, she swallows a lump as several tears fall. "I am so sorry…"


	3. Nurse Luna

_This chapter occurs two years before Nightmare gets her own body when Harry is 8 years old._

Disclaimer: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is owned by Hasbro and Harry Potter is owned by JK Rowling.

"Hello"-Normal Speaking

"_Interesting..._"-Nightmare Moon speaking

'Huh.' -Normal thoughts.

'_All mine..._' Nightmare Moon's thoughts

* * *

Snorting back some mucus, Harry gives the worried Luna a small smile. "Don't worry Lu-ACHOO!" Grabbing a piece from the roll of toilet paper he has by his bed, he blows and lies back with a groan. "Don't worry about it. It's just *Snerk!* the flu."

Luna just flutters around him while adjusting his blankets and pillow. "Are you sure? It's just that you look _really _sick... Do you need another blanket? Or maybe some more pillows? You look warm, do you think-"

Harry cuts her off. "It's the _flu _Luna. Nothing else." He sighs before sneezing again. "Some rest and stuff like juice and I'll get better."

Biting her lip, Luna slowly nods. "If you're sure..." She then perks up. "I know! I can get you some juice!"

Harry just facepalms as he takes a breath and let's out in a sigh. 'She's not going to give up, is she...?' Taking it away, he sighs again that Luna's smile. "Okay, sounds good and could you get me some cough medicine?" Luna nods and flies off causing Harry to grumble as he leans back. "Finally..."

He soon slips into a doze as Luna flies into the empty kitchen. Looking around, she scowls at the note that the Dursleys had left shortly after Harry became ill.

_Boy, going to Marge's and will be there for several days. Don't destroy the house and clean it up once your illness is down._

Still scowling, she turns away. 'Hopefully they'll get some _very _nice nightmares from this...'

She blinks as a familiar voice pipes up. '_Oh, they will. They __will__..._'

Luna sighs mentally. 'Oh, you're back.'

Nightmare darkly chuckles. '_Of course. I never left Little Princess._' A few moments later, Luna could feel the raised eyebrow of her darker self. '_Why not use magic to cure it?_'

Luna sighs as she uses her magic to open the fridge and sees that there's no juice there. 'You think that I didn't _try?_' Luna then scowls. 'Mother damnit, none of the spells I can do worked and the best I can do is take away his aches.'

Nightmare for lack of anything better blinks. '_Zebra potions?_'

Luna grumbles a little as she sits back for a moment. 'Don't have all the ingredients needed and don't want to screw up with substitution.' She then lights up. 'Wait! I can _make _him some juice!'

Nightmare is quiet for a few moments. '_Do you even know __how__?_'

Luna waves her off. 'I've seen the servants do it often enough.' She then nods. 'Not to mention seeing Harry do it as well.' Hearing Nightmare sigh, she scowls. 'What?'

Nightmare takes a second to respond. '_Nothing. Nothing at all._'

Mumbling, Luna walks over to a cupboard and opens it using TK. "Now then... where art thou?" She leans in and starts digging around until she springs out with a squeezer in her hoof. "HUZZAH!" Setting it down on the counter, she opens the fridge and takes out an orange. "Hm... Right! I need a knife and cutting board." Opening a drawer, she takes out the cutting board before setting it down, the aura around it vanishing as she does so. She then reaches in again... and pulls out a cleaver. "Yes! This shall do nicely!"

Unseen to her, Harry walks into the kitchen and is about to say something when he sees a laughing Luna waving around a cleaver with her magic. His eyes go wide and he slowly backs out of the kitchen. 'Just go back to bed Harry... this looks like one of those times...'

Blinking as she hears something, Luna turns to look behind her as she stops her triumphant laughter. "I could have sworn that I heard something..." She then shrugs. "Oh well." Placing the orange on the cutting board, she grins. "Now then, time to cut you!" Raising the cleaver, she brings it down... only for it to glancing hit the orange sending it flying. Luna blinks at what happened for a moment before turning to look at the orange now on the floor. She then scowls "You were supposed to hold still!" Landing on the floor once more, she grabs it and tries again and again until what looks like a shredded bunch of pulp is in front of her. "This is a most annoying orange." She narrows her eyes as she could swear that it was laughing at her in a nasally voice. 'Grrrr...'

Nightmare once more pops up in her head. '_Beaten by a fruit... pathetic._'

Luna just growls at her. 'Shut up you.' She scraps it into a bowl she got and places another orange on the cutting board and holds it there with magic. With a single stroke, she cuts it in half. "YES! TAKE THAT CITRUS!" She suddenly stops before looking around and coughing. "Yes, well..." Taking it, she places it on the squeezer and pushes down. After doing it with both pieces, she pours the juice into a glass causing her to smile. "Excellent." She then looks at the pulp from the previous orange and grins as an idea comes to her before she heads to the fridge and grabs some ice...

*********************** Later *****************************

Taking a sip of the juice, Harry gives Luna a smile. "Thanks Luna, I appreciate this."

Luna holds her head up in pride before gesturing at the bowl of shredded ice mixed with orange pulp. "Try some of the citrus ice. I remember Celly having the dessert cooks make it for her at times."

Harry smiles and takes a spoonful and eats it before cocking his head to the side. "So you used your magic to remove the seeds then?"

Luna blinks as Harry puts another spoonful in his mouth. "You're supposed to remove the seeds?"

* * *

Walking into the kitchen for the second time that day, Luna rubs her front hooves together as she sits at a table. "Now then... what should I make Harry for supper...?"

Nightmare groans. '_After what happened...?_'

Luna simply grumbles. 'How was I to know that you were supposed to remove the seeds first?' Sighing. she turns on the radio and turns to dial as she tries to think of something. "Now... what would be good...?"

She blinks as she stops on one station, a talk show to be frank. "So doctor, what is your recommendation for those who are sick? Are there any old fashioned remedies that work?"

Luna's head whips around fast enough that it audibly cracks causing her to wince. Shaking it off, she turns to the radio. "Yes, what works?"

After a few moments another voice (who Luna assumes to be this doctor) speaks up. "Yes, well. There's a number but what I prefer myself when I am sick is a nice bowl of chicken noodle soup. I find that some celery makes it even better!"

The host speaks again though Luna is no longer focusing as she hits her hoof into the other. "That's it! Chicken Noodle soup!" Rushing over the cupboard, she pulls out a can and sets it down on a counter and pulls out a pot before suddenly becoming thoughtful. "Now how does one go about making chicken noodle soup?" She then leans down and examines the soup can from the edge of the counter. "And how do you open it?"

Nightmare mentally rolls her eyes. '_With a can opener of course._'

Luna narrows her eyes and looks at the can opener which is in the sink. 'Yeah, don't think that will work.' Her eyes then light up as she turns on the sink and runs something under the water. She then slowly levitates the can over the pot using her magic. "Now... HIIIYA!" Jumping up, she uses the now clean cleaver to cut the can in half before folding her arms as the last drops fall into the pot. "Yeah, I get ideas." A few minutes later finds herself looking at a stove. "Now... how to turn it on..." Leaning closer to it as she levitates the pot nearby, she rubs her chin before nodding as she remembers how from when she watched Harry. Turning it on, she places the pot down before heading over to the fridge and taking out some celery. Stripping the leaves, she sighs. 'What a waste...' Chopping them up, she throws them into the slowly bubbling soup before stirring. Sitting on a nearby chair, she sighs as she wipes her brow. "Whew! I think that today I used more magic then I have... in a while actually." As she ponders, she sights a salt shaker and her eyes light up. "Don't you add salt to soup?"

Deep inside Luna's mind, Nightmare raises an eyebrow. '_Are you sure that you should..._'

Luna just snorts. 'Of course! Besides, everyone likes salt!' Flying over, she hovers as she uses her magic to shake some salt into the soup... only for the top to come off and pour a quarter of the salt in before she can do anything. "Eep!" Looking around, she uses her magic to screw the top back on before shakily smiling. "I... I can fix this." She then nods smiling once more. "Yes, all I need to add some water to balance out the salt! And maybe some pepper as well! Now... where is that glass...?"

*************** A few minutes later ****************

Looking at the bowl of soup and then at the hopeful expression on Luna, Harry sighs as he takes a spoonful and puts it into his mouth. Putting the spoon back into the bowl, he closes his eyes as he swallows. Luna slowly leans in close and Harry opens his eyes to see her eyes sparkling. "Is it good? I heard that chicken soup was good for illness."

Harry blinks for a moment. "It's... interesting..."

Luna claps her hooves together happily. "Oh good! And I still got three quarters of the pot left! I'll be right back!"

As she rushes off, Harry slowly looks down at the bowl in his lap before coughing a bit. "Ugh..."


	4. Nightmare's Regret

_Disclaimer: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is owned by Hasbro and Harry Potter is owned by JK Rowling._

"Hello"-Normal Speaking

"_Interesting..._"-Nightmare Moon speaking

'Huh.' -Normal thoughts.

'_All mine..._' Nightmare Moon's thoughts

* * *

Grumbling as she leaves the backpack, Nightmare looks up at Harry and Luna as they settle at the desk in the far corner of the library, his dripping coat hung on the back as rain patters at a nearby window. Finally getting out, she looks herself over with a frown. "You must find a different way of transporting me, Child…" Looking herself over again, she sighs. "Or, at the very least, a new backpack so I do not get wet."

Blinking, Harry looks down and has to hold in a snort as he can see various wet patches on her body. Luna, on the other hand, has no such compunctions as she laughs. "And will you look at what the cat has dragged in, will you?"

Nightmare growls a little as she glares at the other Alicorn. 'If only you weren't like a ghost…' Sighing, she props her head up one hoof while gesturing around. "So what are we reading today then?"

Harry holds up a book with a picture of a dragon on a hoard. "Well… I was thinking of trying this one." Seeing the surprised looks, he rubs the back of his head as he looks at Luna. "Well, after you said how good it was… I thought that I should give it a try as well."

Luna slowly smiles while placing a hoof on his shoulder. "That's great Harry and I am sure that you'll love the story as much as I did." She then seems to stare off. "Reminds me of some things that I got into when I was younger…"

Nightmare shrugs. "Meh, not a bad one I guess." She then uses her hoof and gestures at Luna. "And I don't need to guess what the Little Princess is going to be reading. Probably something heavy and complicated." Seeing Harry's lips twitch while Luna blushes, she sighs before blinking as she sees the book on the table. "A 'King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table' book?"

Luna just raises her head and sniffs. "I was interested since it's a part of Harry's cultural heritage."

Rolling her eyes, Nightmare waves off the fuming lunar princess. "Yeah, yeah, whatever." She then begins to walks off. "While you're doing that, I'll go find something for myself."

Harry and Luna share a look before Harry clears his throat. "Are you sure that's a good idea Nightmare? Because what if someone sees you…?"

Nightmare just smirks as she shoots an amused look over her shoulder. "Don't worry about me. I think that I can hide myself easily enough." She then chuckles as her horn gives a brief glow though she puffs a little afterwards. "There. A simply spell to make it hard to notice me. Happy?" At their nods, she trots off looking for a book. Heading into the adult section, she climbs the bookshelves until she's standing on the top. 'Now then… where should I go…?'

Getting an idea, she starts walking, jumping over gaps every once in a while until she suddenly stops as she hears voices below her. "That's pretty bloody amazing!" A second later, she can hear a smack. "What was that for?"

A female voice answers causing Nightmare to roll her eyes. "Watch your language!"

The guy grumbles and Nightmare looks over the edge to see a girl with red hair and a guy with black hair talking. "Yeah, yeah." As all she can see is the top of their heads, Nightmare loses interest and begins to move away when she suddenly stops at the guy's next words. "Still, can you imagine it? The sun being blocked out for months…"

Nightmare having heard this returns to where the two are, listening in as she watches them. 'What!'

The girl shakes her head slowly. "I think that it would be pretty terrifying myself. It would be like what nuclear winter would be like, I suppose."

The boy then nods. "So… where's this book and what's the name?"

The girl slowly shrugs her shoulders. "It's over in the Earth Sciences section…"

As the girl tells the boy the name, Nightmare mentally takes it down before ducking out of view for a moment. '"Nuclear Winter"? That's…' Looking over the edge, she notices they're gone causing her to scowl. 'Just great. At least I have a name.' Leaping over across the aisle, she makes her way to the Earth Sciences section. Grabbing the book in question, she starts reading out loud in a whisper. "The impact of the asteroid released more energy than all the atomic weapons in the world many times over. It was so powerful, it sent massive amounts of dust into the atmosphere while wildfires started by the impact added their own smoke to the dense layer blocking out all the sunlight." She slowly blinks. "That sounds like…" Getting an uneasy feeling in her gut, or what passes as one, she continues. "Without sunlight, temperatures dropped dramatically and plants began to die…" As she continues to read, she starts to tremble before stopping. "No… no, no. This is just a theory… it has no basis in real life… right?" She then notices something. 'The volcanic eruption of Tambora….?'

****************** A few days later *********************

Watching out the window as Harry works in number 4's garden, Nightmare shivers as her mind drifts back to what she had read. 'Dammit… stop thinking about it!' Turning away, she pulls a foreleg over her eyes and when she uncovers her eyes, she finds herself in a darkened room that's only lit by pale moonlight. And there, on the bed, is a pile of sheets with a small, thin arm poking out, glistening with ice… "GAH!" Backing away, she blinks as her back hits the wall and finds the room back to normal with sunlight streaming in. "Ju-just a figment of my imagination… yes, that's all." Trembling a little, she gives a shaky smile as she looks at the ceiling. "Besides… he's just a pawn, that's all…" Needless to say, it sounds a little hollow to herself causing her to grimace, before the image flashes through her mind again, this time of Equestria covered in ice. "STOP IT!" Grabbing one of Dudley's broken remote controlled cars; she flings it at the wall hard enough to shatter it as she screeches in anger and frustration. "GET OUT OF MY HEAD BUCKING DAMMIT!" Seeing the notebook, with all her notes on what she's found, open nearby, her trembling increases. "Just… make it stop… make it stop…"

Outside, Harry glances up at his bedroom window with a frown as he hears her screech. "Luna, is Nightmare okay? I'm starting to get worried with how she's been acting in the last little while."

Luna rolls her eyes. "Harry, she's always temperamental, angry, and gruff."

Harry's frown only becomes more pronounced. "Yeah, but it's gotten worse. Not mention she seems… distant at times. Just sitting there staring off into space." Sitting back for a moment, he uses a rag to clean his hands of dirt. "And more than that, she's gotten physical." Seeing Luna narrow her eyes and open her mouth, Harry shakes his head. "Not against me or anyone really… But…" He looks back at the window, and takes a breath. "I've been noticing that some of Dudley's toys are being destroyed. Sure, they were already broken, but when some are turning up shattered that up till now weren't…"

Now it's Luna's turn to frown as she thinks, only to realize he's right, causing her to bite her lip. "That… is worrisome." She then gives him the best comforting smile she can. "I'm sure that that she's just going through one of her moods, though." She then tilts her head to the side. "But I'll go talk with her nonetheless, okay?" Harry nods but before he can say anything, Luna flaps her wings and flies to the window. Alighting on the sill, she gets a sinking feeling as she sees Nightmare with her forelegs covering her eyes. 'Never mind her being physical, this is more worrisome.'

Nightmare meanwhile, is trying to get the images out of her head when she hears Luna land right next to her. Pulling her forelegs away from her face, Nightmare snarls partially at being caught being "Weak" by Luna. "What the bucking Hay are you…" Whatever words are about to be spoken die in her throat at the sight of Luna looking over the notebook. Snatching it away, she glares. "And what do you think that you're doing looking through my stuff?"

Luna just looks at her, a variety of expressions mixing on her face. Mostly bad ones, but the one that hits Nightmare is the fact that her eyes seem empty. "So… you found out about what would happen with eternal night did you…?"

Nightmare stars at her uncomprehendingly for a moment. "You… knew…" The blaze of anger that's been focused inwards for the past few days suddenly finds a new target. "YOU KNEW ALL THIS TIME!"

Reaching out with her magic, Luna slowly closes the window before sighing, still looking away. "For the past two years. I found out about nuclear winter after overhearing a couple in the park."

Nightmare begins to shake in rage. "How dare you… HOW DARE YOU STAND THERE AS IF YOU'RE UNAFFECTED!"

Now Luna whips around, her own face filled with anger. "Do you really think that…?" She takes a step towards Nightmare who backs up a little. "Do you think that you're the only one who, when she closes her eyes sometimes sees people she cares for dead of starvation and cold… DO YOU!" Taking a breath, Luna looks away. "Remember two years ago? When I was… not acting myself?"

Nightmare slowly nods. "Yeah, you were… home… sick…" Her eyes widen as her head whips up to stare at Luna. "It wasn't because you were homesick… was it?"

Luna bitterly chuckles. "No, it wasn't." She then sighs. " After finding out what we… what I nearly did… what I might have caused…" Luna gulps as little as some tears fall from her eyes. "If I had anything at all for those days in my stomach, I would have had it all brought up. As it was…" She then hangs her head. "As it was, a few times I dry heaved." She then looks Nightmare directly in the eye, both of her own shining in horror. "If I hadn't been stopped… we might have killed everyone…"

Nightmare just snarls. "You weren't the one who came up with it, it was me!" She starts trembling again. "I was in control…" She starts trembling even more as she chokes out the next bit. "I… was going to kill them… and they looked to me for protection…"

Trembling a little herself, Luna's tears begin running fully as she closes her eyes. "And yet you would have never considered it if I hadn't thought about it at times before…" Opening her eyes, she continues with her voice thick with emotion. "When I realized what could have happened…" Blinking, Luna nods. "Part of me wished that Celly had ended it right there." A bitter chuckle escapes her throat as she shakes her head. "And for all our power, she could have. But no… she used the Elements to seal us."

Nightmare just snarls as she squeezes her eyes shut. "You think that I'm not going through that too!" All of a sudden, Nightmare seems to go limp as if she was a puppet with her strings cut. "All I wanted was them… to love us… And now…"Looking up at the other Alicorn, she looks totally lost. "I… what do I do? I…"

Taking pity on her, Luna gently makes those last few steps before gathering her into her forelegs as she nuzzles the doll. "I don't know." Looking up at the ceiling, Luna rocks back and forth. "But… we have each other… and we have Harry."

And at that point, a familiar voice makes itself known causing them to stiffen. "You'll always have me." Turning, they find, to their horror that, Harry is standing there, his own eyes glistening. "Always."

Swallowing, Luna tries to ask the question on both their minds. "How…"

Harry sadly sighs and shakes his head. "Enough." Walking over, he pulls them into a hug. "And no matter what, I'm not about to leave you."

Nightmare just shakes her head, her voice sounding small and tired. "But… after what we nearly did... "

Harry just continues to hug them before rocking back and forth. "I know you. Neither of you would have meant for it to happen…" And the three of them spend the rest of the day like that. Simply holding each other.


	5. Luna's Story Part 1

_Disclaimer: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is owned by Hasbro and Harry Potter is owned by JK Rowling._

"Hello"-Normal Speaking

"_Interesting..._"-Nightmare Moon speaking

'Huh.' -Normal thoughts.

'_All mine..._' Nightmare Moon's thoughts

* * *

Sighing as he leans back against Nightmare on the moon, Harry glances over at Luna. "Hey, Luna?" Seeing that he has her attention, he asks a question that's been on his mind for a while. "Remember how you told me that you would explain your past when I was older?"

Blinking for a moment, Luna gives him a long stare before nodding. "Well... I think that you can handle it now." Getting up, she walks over to where Harry is and lays down while getting comfortable. After a moment, she gives pause. "Are you _sure_ you want to hear this now?"

Her wizard friend sighs for a moment. "I do." Giving her a smile, he continues. "I want to know more about you Luna."

Nodding, the lunar princess chuckles. "I suppose that, that would be fair considering that I know just about everything about your's that you do, Harry."

Grunting as she shifts, Nightmare looks over at him. "_So then Harry... where do you want us to start?_"

Harry simply shrugs. "At the beginning I suppose would be best."

Luna grins as she softly chuckles. "The beginning is always the best place to begin I suppose." Slowly the grin slides off her face as she turns towards the distant sphere of Equestria on the horizon. "I won't get through it all now, or even tomorrow. After all, my and my sister's story is quite long and even then, we're going to skip large parts of it where nothing really happened."

Slowly nodding, Harry smiles softly. "Okay then."

Luna watches as she shifts into a more comfortable position against Nightmare's body. Glancing over at the dark Alicon, Luna notices the raised eyebrow making her lips twitch. 'If you had told me even a decade ago that I'd be getting along with Nightmare...' Gazing at Harry, her lips turn upwards into a soft smile. 'We had some help though, didn't we?' Clearing her throat, she catches Harry's attention. "Ready?" At his nod, she continues. "Good. If you need to ask anything, go on ahead. I don't mind being interrupted if something needs clarifying." Looking towards the horizon, she gathers her thoughts as she begins. "As you know, I had two parents. I don't really remember much as it was both long ago and I was very young when they disappeared."

Harry raises his eyebrows. "How young are we talking."

Snorting softly, Luna turns back to him so as to get his expression. "A few decades old." Seeing his jaw drop, she chuckles. "Harry, I am, for all intents and purposes, immortal. And we age very slowly as is." Her grin widens a little bit more. "As is, I'm 8,000 years old now."

As she outright laughs at Harry's expression, Nightmare shakes her head. "_Enough teasing him Little Princess. He wants to know our story after all._"

Giving her a fake pout, Luna sighs. "Aw, but I wanted some fun after all." Seeing the eye roll, she smirks. "But you do have a point after all." Still slightly smirking, she continues where she left off. "Anyways... I don't know where Mother and Father came from as they never liked talking about it." She then frowns. "Only Celly actually knows as since she was older, she was born around the time they left their homeland 2,000 years before I was born. And all I could gather from Mother and Father was that the people they looked after no longer needed them." Becoming thoughtful, Luna shakes her head. "Celly did say that they weren't from Equestria though."

Harry blinks at this. "So where were they from then? And were they the only members of your family?"

Instead of Luna, Nightmare is the one who answers. "_They never said and neither did Celestia. The most we got was that they had come from a great city._" As Harry turns to her, Nightmare shrugs. "_I personally believe that a war or something like that had occured._"

Luna scowls at her. "And as I said, you have no proof."

Rolling her eyes, Nightmare snorts. "_Really Little Princess? Then kindly explain why they seemed so saddened and angry when they mentioned it?_"

Sensing an old argument, Harry holds up his hands. "Guys? Story?"

Rubbing the bridge of her nose with her hoof, Luna takes a moment before nodding. "You're right." Nodding, she clears her throat. "Yes, anyways..." Frowning slightly, she shakes her head. "I don't know much about the other members of our family as I only had known Mother, Father, and Celly personally. But I do remember something about having an Uncle that had left one day... Never did find out what happened to him other then he sired a family... but that's for later." Shrugging, she turns to Harry with a smile. "As for the ones that I did know..." Gaining a far off look, she sighs. "I still remember my Mother's soft voice as she told me and Celly stories... Her red mane tickling my nose... how the smell of ink and parchment always drifted around her..." Shaking her head, she smiles. "And father... I remember his laughs and his bushy brown mane." Shaking her head, her smile only grows. "The greatest thing they taught me and Celly was that we should always work at things and not take them for granted. Both were artists and believed that fashioning something with your own two hooves would be far more gratifying then anything else." She then saddens as even Nightmare looks down. "That's why it hurt so much when no matter how hard I worked, nopony liked our night and loved the day. Celly didn't have to do much and they adored her. Me? No matter how much I worked, they never felt the same." Sighing, a small tear trickles down her cheek as Nightmare looks away, one making it's way down her's as well. "I think that they would be ashamed of what I've done..." She looks away as she closes her eyes tightly. "And then that day came..."

Seeing her reaction, Harry's eyes widen. '"That day..."?' Harry frowns and bites his lip. "If it's too painful, I can understand..."

Luna just shakes her head. "No, you have a right to know since I know about your parents..." She then takes a deep shuddering breath. "It was truly frightening. It seemed like all the stars fell from the skies with how dark the day had become while the very world trembled. Whatever it was, it was pure evil..."

Gulping, Harry says the name on his mind. "Discord...?"

Nightmare shakes her own head, hissing. "_No. Whatever this was, it made Discord seem like a child throwing a fit._" Closing her eyes, Nightmare sighs. "_It's blury, but there's the impression of a great serpentine shape, and that's it._"

Luna slowly nods. "Yes." She then sighs as she hangs her head. "Mother and Father went out to confront it but never returned. I..." Raising a hoof, she lays it on her chest. "Me and Celly never found any bodies after the battle besides the torn remains of the creature. But I know in my heart that while they were gone, they weren't truly dead." Becoming serious, she continues. "That battle was so powerful, that the very ground and sky were torn asunder by it. And, in the end, me and Celly had to take over the cycles of day and night because otherwise..." She then gestures at her flank. "And the first time we did, Celly, who was up in time, raised and lowered the sun giving her, her Cutie Mark. And me? Celly was too tired after lowering the sun so I, in my youthful exuberence, raised the moon, giving me my Cutie Mark."

Harry blinks away some tears as he nods and they slip into silence for a few minutes. "So... what happened then?"

Luna's lips twitch as she chuckles. "Afterwards as I was still young, Celly raised me." Shifting around a little, she looks up thoughtfully. "We also had to deal with several threats that came about."

Raising an eyebrow, Harry clears his throat. "Threats?"

Nodding, Luna continues. "Yes." She then makes a gesture with her hoof. "See, when Mother and Father vanquished... whatever it was, monsters came into being. The mortal ones came from it's dead flesh. From it's siliva came an ooze that devoured all in it's path. It's dying breath would, in time, become the first Windigos. Cold and full of hatred for all those still alive. Discord himself traces his being to this thing as he came about from a shard of it's soul and power." Seeing Harry shiver as he's heard how powerful Discord was, Nightmare drapes a wing over him. "The mud created from it's blood became a race of beings that, having no real form themselves, would take the form of others to feed on the lighter emotions." Making a thoughtful sound, Luna shrugs. "By the time of my fall, they were gone having been hunted to extinction by me and Celly and those who followed us."

Nightmare herself becomes thoughtful. "_I do wonder whatever happened to _  
_Lepidoptera..._"

Harry looks over at her. "Oh? Who's that and what connection does she have with these shapeshifters?"

Nightmare grunts. "  
_Lepidoptera?_" At Harry's nod, she shrugs. "_She was a member of the Unicorn Royal Family. She was very beautiful and a noted expert in transformation magic as her butterfly Cutie Mark showed._"

Luna chuckles some as she remembers those days. "I remember her now. She was the one who invented the Butterfly Wing spell to give flight to Unicorns. Always had it on." Luna's mood soon becomes saddened. "She never truly recovered from Discord's years though. And the fact that the Unicorn she loved never returned her feelings. Rather, he stomped them while 'Loving' Celly."

Nightmare snorts. "_Is it any wonder that she dispised our **dear **sister so?_"

Sighing, Luna shakes her head. "No..." Turning back, she looks at Harry. "As to her connection... she studied them heavily as she was amazed at their abilities to take any form. She wanted to understand how their magic functioned. But after the... altercation between her and Prince Tryst, she became cold and obsessed with them." She shakes her head as she continues. "We were not friends, close, but not quite." Becoming thoughtful Luna looks at the sky. "More professional acquaintances then anything." Shrugging, she looks down. "We might have become friends in time as she was opening up, but she disappeared after an accident in her lab. She had somehow gotten her hands on the remains of the last dead Shifters and had been studying them. Celly had sent some of her guards to observe but..."

Harry sighs. "One of them did something..."

Nightmare nods with a grunt. "_Yeah, the foal was over eager and busted in as _  
_Lepidoptera and her followers were performing an experiment with the magic still in the Shifter's remains. There was a massive explosion and the section of the mines under Canterlot she had been using for her lab collapsed. Nothing was ever recovered as there was too much debris and the area was unstable. The mines themselves were soon closed off due to the danger of farther cave-ins._"

Shaking her head, Luna takes a breath. "Anyways... that came much later." Shifting a little, she smiles. "Well, as I was saying, after a few decades of me and Celly knocking down the monsters that had been created, we noticed that there were days that we were either too tired or busy to raise the moon and sun where they did so themselves. For the first couple of decades, we just assumed it was the other. But, eventually, we sensed it."

Sitting a bit straighter, Harry leans forward. "Sensed what?"

Lips twitching as she holds up a hoof, she be taps it on the moon. "Someone else was using magic on the celestial bodies we were connected to and moving them. Me and Celly soon left the area that would be Equestria in the future and started travelling, looking for the source of the magic affecting the sun and moon. It took a while as we had to leave the sun and moon alone, not raising them so as to actually get a better idea as to the source. We found though, it wasn't just a single source, but hundreds working together. The fact that they were scattered made it even harder for us to track. But, eventually we found them."

Totally enthralled, Harry raises an eyebrow. "So who was doing it?"

Luna grins as she leans back against a rock. "Unicorns. That was when me and Celly first saw the Earth, Pegasus, and Unicorn ponies. Grant you, all three feared us and in the case of the Pegasus ponies actually attacked." Looking down, Luna shakes her head. "Me and Celly, used to battling monsters used too much force and killed the group. We then fled and hid."

Harry winces a bit before asking the next question. "Then how...?"

Taking a breath, Luna let's it out. "Me and Celly then hid but continued to watch them. They fascinated us. We helped them out every once in a while, mainly by saving lone travellers, healing those who fell ill, helping lost foals find their way home. And so on." Luna shaking her head, she sighs. "We became sort of guardian spirits to them. Each tribe had us looking different and would fight about it from time to time. All the time me and Celly watched them." Luna then winks. "Eventually, we decided that the only way to truly understand them was to walk among them."

Harry just gives her a deadpan expression. "Oh? I would think that they would notice you."

For her part, Luna laughs. "You would, but that was only if we went as ourselves." Raising a hoof and eyebrow, her eyes twinkle with merriment. "Me and Celly would disguise ourselves as a young orphen filly of the tribe in question's type. No one ever gave it a second thought as with the monsters and wars, there were always orphens around. And so, we would live out our 'Lives' with the tribe, using our magic to seemingly age and then, once we 'died', we would either take a break, or move on to our next 'Life'. We each had our preferences though. Celly enjoyed the Earth Ponies and their down to earth nature as well as the Unicorns for their political intregue. Me? I liked the Pegasus for their ferocity in the defence of their beliefs and loyalty as well as the Unicorns for their magic and search for knowledge. And so we went. Sometimes we would try to give their societies nudges through our fake personas. Sometimes it would would work, and other times it wouldn't..."

As Harry sits there listening, he can't help but be amazed as he hears about the lives and adventures that Celestia and Luna had gone through. Finally, one question comes to mind. "So... why didn't you try to make any friends then?"

Stilling, Luna blinks before sighing. "At the time I was young and stupid Harry. I thought that all I would ever need was Celly. Not to mention that lifespans for most of that period could be measured in just a few decades." Shaking her head, she grimaces. "Thanks to various factors, a pony would be considered 'Old' at thirty. And... well, I never really bothered making more then passing acquaintances with anypony. And it _hurt_ when they passed on so I never wanted to feel it even worse. And Celly? I lost track of how many times I showed up because I could feel her dispair at losing someone due to her being so open to making friends. So... I never bothered going that far and by the time I did..." She clinches her eyes closed. "Me and Celly were the rulers of Equestria and so protocol prevented it and those who were 'Friends' often were little more then leaches wanting some political power from being associated with us."

Harry's looking distinctly uncomfortable at this which Nightmare notices and rolls her eyes at. "_Oh do calm yourself Harry._"

Luna nods, a slight smile on her face. "She's right you know. Me and you have had this conversation and you know my answer as it's never changed. I will never regret becoming friends with you." Walking over, she reaches down and takes his hand between her hooves. "Harry, I know that when the time comes for you to leave, it's going to hurt. It's going to hurt horribly. But you know what? I wouldn't change this for anything. No matter what." Closing her eyes, a sad smile blooms on her face. "One of the gifts and curses of me and Celly being immortal is a perfect memory. And once you're gone, I'll still be able to look back on these days and feel the warmth of our friendship." Pulling his hand to her chest, she leaves it there. "And a piece of you will always be with me, here. In my heart of hearts."

Harry blinks before swallowing the lump in his throat. "Luna..."

She shakes her head before hugging him. A moment later, she giggles some. "You know, I used to roll my eyes at Celly when she told me that I would find someone out there. A pony, or in this case a person, who I would share a connection with."

Harry chuckles a little bit. "Oh? Like a soulmate?"

Snorting as she recongizes him trying to lighten the conversation, Luna shakes her head as a small smile appears on her face. "Not quite..." Opening her eyes, she slowly tilts her head to the side. "What sis used to tell me was that eventually I would meet somepony that would be the perfect friend for me." Looking up at the sky, her smile widens as she look back at Harry. "I guess the closest that I can come to it is from your world and that's you're my _Anam Chara_."

Harry just raises an eyebrow. "_Anam Chara_? What's that?"

Closing her eyes, Luna slowly sighs as she softly smiles. "It's a word I came across in a book. It's a Celtic word from Ireland that translates as 'Soul Friend'. It's similar to Soul Mate, but instead of love there's deep feelings of friendship." Opening her eyes, she gazes at him. "And it's so much more then that as a _Anam Chara_ is also a Confidant, a Advisor, a Confessor and much more."

Harry just gives her a lopsided smile before going back to hugging her. A moment later he chuckles. "Then I guess that for me, you're my _Anam Chara_..." He then looks over at Nightmare. "Well... along with Nim I guess."

Both look at a stiff Nightmare who looks away with a huff. "_Don't joke about such things!_"

Harry just raises an eyebrow as he smirks slightly. "Who's saying that I'm joking?"

Nightmare blushes some and snorts. "_Anyways... I think that we should continue with the lesson. And since you already know about Hearth's Warming, we can skip that._"

Both her and Harry chuckle a bit before Luna gives her wizard friend a wink. "Yeah, we should." Settling down once more, Harry leans back against the still slightly scowling Nightmare. Thinking for a moment, Luna slowly nods. "Right. Anyways, after the defeat of the Windigos and the loss of the leaders of the Three Tribes, new ones, except for the Unicorns as the King came out of retirement, came to the fore. Now united however, they needed a combined government. As you can guess, since Equestria was mine and Celly's original home, we watched what happened with interest. We both were surprised that they used us as the symbols of the new nation they were forging,"

Harry slowly nods. "Because the legends of you two were something that the three tribes had most in common, right?"

Luna slowly nods. "Yes. By that point they had, for lack of better words, _known_ of us. And because we had atributes of all three races, we were the perfect symbols. Of course, there were many growing pains in those years. But the greatest surprise for me and Celly was yet to come." Seeing the interested look on Harry's face, Luna chuckles. "Clover, Pansy, and Smart Cookie were not fools in the least and knew that they needed help. But what they set up was..." Luna blushes some. "Well, me and Celly while not arrogent like what I read about when it comes to human gods, we _were_ still slightly full of ourselves at this time. So certain we were that our disguises were perfect."

Harry's lips twitch some as he figures it out. "They found you out."

Nightmare snorts."_That's putting it mildly Harry. Turns out that they had known about who we were for a while before then._"

Luna slowly nods. "She's right. _Clever_ is far too mild a word for Clover's title. And the name Smart Cookie did her no justice either. Both of them had noticed small things and put them together after much research of the myths and stories surround me and my sister. And Pansy had a rare empathic ability to the point where she could tell a person's emotions. And me and Celly thought that we had hid so well..." She slowly shakes her head. "At the time I was pretending to be a Pegasus soldier and Celly had been a fellow student of Starswirl. One day, Clover asked Celly to accompany her to a meeting with the other two. And Pansy, who by then was the ambassador for the Pegasi asked for me to guard her on the journey. We all arrived at the designated meeting place within Everfree Glade, which was used as a meeting place for the three tribes. What me and sister had not known was that Clover had other powerful unicorns including her teacher, Starswirl, set up a spell to dispell disguises under the excuse that she had read about the Shifters and wanted to make sure that none could cause trouble there. And when me and Celly walked into the meeting spot..."

Harry starts laughing. "It tripped the spell!"

Luna nods. "It did indeed Harry. It was so unexpected that me and Celly had no chance before it ripped away our disguise spells. After a few moments we turned to see the three with the most, at the time, infuriating knowing smirks."

Looking down in thought, Harry slowly nods. "I take it they wanted you to rule?"

Luna shakes her head. "Just Pansy and that was expected as Pegasi society had the strongest rule. The other two had a slightly different plan." Raising a hoof, she gestures with it. "Sure, at first they made me and Celly think that was what they wanted. Took a while, but we fell into their trap. They had outsmarted us." She then leans forwards and places her hoof next to her mouth, a twinkle in her eye. "What they truly had wanted was for me and Celly to act as _advisors_ to the new nation. To give guidence when asked. After more arguing, where they pointed out that the Three Tribes needed a true rallying point, me and Celly agreed to taking up the position of being advisors to whoever the Tribes decided to for their rulers." The trinkle becomes more pronounced as her grin grows wide. "But in the end me and Celly got them. Because the first thing we did after revealing ourselves, and by my Mother those expressions were priceless, was _advise_ that Clover and the other two become a Council to rule over the united tribes. All three tribes agreed over those three's objections. And so, Equestria came to be and had almost a century of peace..." Seeing Harry's expression as he realizes what he realizes what she means, her own falls. "I'll tell you more about what happened tomorrow, okay?" Seeing Harry's nod, she claps her hooves. "Anyways, enough of that! Time for a bit of fun before we go to sleep, hm?"

Harry just nods as he gets up. "Sure Luna..."


	6. Luna's Story Part 2

_And here's the next part in the Luna's History side story arc! Hope that you enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is owned by Hasbro and Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling._

"Hello"-Normal Speaking  
"_Interesting..._"- Nightmare Moon speaking.  
'Huh'- Normal Thoughts.  
'_All mine..._' Nightmare Moon's thoughts

* * *

Sitting down and once more laying against Nightmare, Harry watches as Luna sits down across from them as well. "So I suppose that you want to hear more of my history then Harry?" At the roll of his eyes, she gives him a playful glare before smiling. "So, where was I last night?"

Shaking his head at her playful mood, Harry's lips twitch as he dryly comments. "Well, guess that proves all it needed about your so-called 'Perfect Memory'."

Rolling her eyes, Luna slowly snorts. "_Right_..." Clearing her throat, she shakes her head. "Anyways, we were at the point where me and Celestia became advisors. Starswirl was another as by that point he was quite old and so very wise, yet he still had the health and youthful vigor of one much younger." Luna then blinks for a moment before smiling. "In fact, now that I think of it, he was very much like a Unicorn version of Merlin."

Raising an eyebrow in thought, Nightmare herself nods slowly. "_The similarities are quite astounding, aren't they?_"

Luna snorts in amusement. "Very much so. One of which was his longevity." Turning to Harry, who's listening with an interested expression, she slowly shakes her head. "By the time Equestria was founded, Starswirl was already in his fifties. And he would live to just a few years before Discord's arrival." Luna then slowly closes her eyes. "And poor Clover would live through the reign of Discord as she, too, was extremely long lived by pony standards."

Harry raises both of his eyebrows in amazement before shaking his head. "Do you have any idea as to why they were both long lived?"

Luna once more slowly nods her head. "Yes, as a matter of fact." Gaining a far off look, she sighs. "Both Starswirl's, Clover's, and a few others that were also long lived had a familiar... _feel_ to their magic. And the combination of powerful magic and longevity ran in family lines. Me and Celly had noticed such before on our adventures, but never really thought to ask _why_ till then."

Shifting a little, Harry becomes thoughtful. "Wouldn't such things be normally in noble families considering the time we're talking about though? I thought Clover was a Commoner?"

Luna nods at this before grimacing. "Clover had a rough childhood Harry. She was what I suppose humans referred to centuries ago as a bastard. Her father was a Unicorn Noble while her mother was simply a Commoner. Due to that, while they loved each other, they could never be together. However, the fact that her father was a friend of King Palladium, the Unicorn king allowed her to move up some by becoming a servant in his household. Sadly for her, she was chosen as Princess Platinum's hoofmare." Luna then shakes her head "But when Clover became a council member, she was elevated to the nobility for 'Special services to the crown'." Luna laughs some as she shakes her head. "She would later marry the younger of the Unicorn King's two Grandchildren, whose father was his son. The king's other daughter would marry into the Blueblood family." Luna then starts laughing a little. "Ironically, Clover and her future husband met during her service to Princess Platinum. See, she didn't want to bother with her nephew and shoved the duties off on Clover."

Nightmare herself snorts in amusement. "_And of course the little one gained a crush of sorts on his much older minder while Clover herself was fond of him as most foalsitters are of those they take care of. After he was too old for foalsitting, she was shuffled off to other duties and they didn't see each other again for many years._" She then laughs a little. "_He met up with her later as her guard of sorts and all it took was him saving her from a rampaging dragon for her to see him as something other than the foal she had once taken care of._"

Harry gives them both an odd look. "Isn't that kind of... _wrong_ though? She was much older than him after all."

Luna just shakes her head. "Here in this time period on your world? Yes. But back then in Equestria? Not really unless you were a snobbish noble who thought that one who had been raised from the Commons should never have been in the first place. And you could see something similar with your own world back around the middle ages and 16th to 17th Centuries."

Harry gives her a curious look at this. "Really?"

Luna nods her head. "Yes. See, at one point in your world's history, it was not uncommon for a noble woman in her mid-late teens to marry a man many years or even decades her senor. Grant you, seems like they were usually political in nature." She then shakes her head with a chuckle. "And in this case with Clover's long life, it was less of an issue as Prince Electrum was also from a long lived and magically powerful family. So there was no real issue with the age difference." She then smiles a little in remembrance. "After they got married they took the name _Amore_ in honor of not only their love, but also that of Clover's parents." She then sighs a little. "It was also somewhat political due to the fact that Prince Electrum being the grandchild of King Palladium and Clover being one of the 'Three Saviors'. Though that was mainly an excuse." Luna sighs thoughtfully. "Those two started two family traditions. The Amore family married only for love and the oldest daughter would when young take care of children. Or at least they did up until..." Shaking her head, she smiles back at Harry. "A third tradition of sorts that the Amore family had that they stayed friendly with both Pansy's and Smart Cookie's descendents. Their bonds were so strong that intermarriages between them and adoptions of orphan members of the others two families weren't uncommon. Though, the intermarriages never got to the point of inbreeding like what happened with most of the Unicorn nobility. By the time I... had my issue, the three families were pretty much one in the same."

Wanting to get off the uncomfortable subject of her banishment, Harry clears his throat. " Right, so you were going to say the reason for their longevity and magical strength?"

Thankful for the diversion, Luna nods. "Yes, well... it took both me and Celly quite a while to find out the reason." She then leans forwards. "See, there were many legends regarding it so it took me and Celly the better part of 20 years to go through the Unicorn King's archives. We also looked into the ones owned by the Earth and Pegasi Ponies. Slowly we pieced together the information. Stories told of Unicorn 'God-Kings'. Unicorns of great magical strength and very long lives, far longer then what me and Celly saw with what was then the modern-day Unicorns. One of them reigned over the Unicorns for almost 300 years. There was similar stories for Earth Ponies of great physical strength and Pegasus who were faster than the wind. It was here that me and Celly really started looking. And in a small tomb in the foothills in the now frozen wasteland of the Three Tribes original home we found the answers."

Harry finds his eyebrows rising at this. "And..."

Nightmare looks over at him before explaining. "_As it was an **old** Unicorn tomb, the legends carved into the walls were much closer to the origin then anything we had found._" Getting slightly more comfortable, she continues. "_They told of how in time immemorial that the Three Tribes were separated into small herds. These were targets for predators and rival herds. And then, out of the south came a great flying Unicorn..._"

Harry's eyes widen as he realizes what she means. "Your uncle..."

Luna nods. "Yes." She then shakes her head. "He apparently united the various herds into the Three Tribes by both force and guile and then into one nation, a kind of proto-Equestria. He then took one wife from each race which bore him children of that pony race. Children of great power." Grimacing, she shakes her head. "Then came a day of darkness and he left for where he had came from and never returned."

Harry narrows his eyes at that as he connects the dots. "He was there with your mother and father."

Luna sighs as she shakes her head. "That was the best explanation me and Celly could come up with." She then looks up at the sky with an angry frown. "And that was when the whole mess of the Three Tribes began."

Harry just shakes his head, already guessing what happened. "They could not agree on who would take their father's place, could they?"

Luna nods before shaking her head. "Each one thought that their way of ruling was best. The Unicorns believed that they should rule by virtue of their blood. The Pegasi, due to having acted as the military due to their speed and abilities, believed that Might made Right and only the strongest should rule. And the Earth Ponies believed that only the people could decide who ruled. And so, the siblings separated and took each race with them. Ruling as they believed was best."

Rubbing his face, Harry groans. "Morons..."

Luna nods with a snort. "True. The bad blood from that lasted so long it became culturally ingrained and the Tribes forgot the true reason behind it." She then grimaces. "Not that I was much better with what happened."

Reaching out, Harry gives her hoof a squeeze brightening her mood. "So then, why weren't there long lived Pegasi and Earth Ponies then?"

Luna snorts a little before sighing. "Because of the way they lived, the Earth Ponies and the Pegasi saw their Alicorn blood diluted much faster than with the Unicorns." She then gestures with a hoof. "Earth Ponies, due to not having wieldable magic like the Unicorns or flight like the Pegasi, had large families in order to have some survive with the strongest acting in defense of the community. The Pegasi, due to their militaristic culture, would often die in some battle before old age could claim them. And, the strongest sometimes took more than one wife to 'Spread their strength'. Unicorns on the other hand had small families with maybe one or two siblings. And the nobility, those who were descendents, would stay away from the front lines of battle. Add that to their habit of keeping within a select pool of mates and the reason why it took so much longer to dilute became obvious." She then snorts. "Though inbreeding eventually made it so when Equestria was founded maybe twenty family lines had the longevity or magical strength. There was also the fact that ponies with those were uncommon in said families as was. And the number of families with such was cut down in half by the time I was sent to the moon."

Shaking his head, Harry raises an eyebrow. "So..."

Luna blinks as she snaps out of her thoughts before smiling somewhat sheepishly. "Right." Clearing her throat, she sighs. "Of course, around this time with Pansy and Smart Cookie growing older, a fear sprung up."

Frowning thoughtfully, Harry mumbles. "A fear...?"

Luna nods. "Yes. See, the Tribes, though now united, were still frightened about the possible return of the Windigos. And when Pansy and Smart Cookie died they would no longer be able to form the Heart of Friendship with Clover." She then shakes her head. "So, the idea sprung up to create a way to store the energies from the Heart in order to protect Equestria..."

Harry's eyes widen as his breath catches. "The Elements of Harmony..."

Ignoring Nightmare's grumble, Luna smiles. "Yes, though they were not known as that at the time." She slowly raises a hoof. "The gems used were not found easily. In fact, no matter where we looked we could not find any that could contain the power needed. Until one day..." She shakes her head. "It was on a whim you see. Me and Celly went one day to pay our respects to our parents like we had every other year. Ironically, the battle field was inside what was then known as Everfree Glade."

Harry raises an eyebrow in askance before crossing his arms. "What does paying your respects have to do with the Elements?"

Nightmare just taps him on the leg and gives him a small look. "_Hush Harry. You'll find out in a second._"

Luna gives her a thankful look before continuing. "She's right Harry." Taking a breath, she slowly lets it out. "That year an awful forest fire had swept through the area and basically left just burned out forest behind. And the rain that the Pegasi used to put it out had swept out masses of the ground. So, there was me and my sister standing before where the battle ground was when we heard a twig snap." Blinking, Harry leans forwards. "Me and Celly looked down into the battleground from the rocky outcrop we were on to see a flash of red and white disappear into a stand of trees. To this day I still don't know what possessed me and Celly to do so, but we began chasing it. It was frightening and terrifying but _something_ deep within us pushed to chase whatever it was down."

Nightmare nods as she takes over. "_We never got close to whatever we were chasing. We only saw flashes of white or red, the sound of wings beating the air... and, every once in a while, the sound of light giggles drifting towards us._" Looking at the distant orb on the horizon, Nightmare sighs. "_It led us on a merry chase over charred fallen trees, through patches of brambles, and across puddles and streams. Finally we charged into a section of the battlefield we knew from which there was no escape but from the air, and we would see it then. A ravine blasted into the landscape... the place from which our parents' magic had left this plane._"

Harry shakes his head from side to side in confusion. "So what was there?"

Luna just sits up and spreads her forehooves wide in the air while shrugging with a confused look. "Nothing."

For a moment, Harry simply blinks in confusion. "Nothing...?"

Luna nods. "Nothing. Nothing at all." Placing her hooves back on the ground she shakes her head. "The ground had been scorched by the fire to such a degree that we could see for yards around. In front of us, was a small cliff created by whatever final attacks mother and father as well as perhaps uncle had used. Nothing was flying, I know because I went up and looked." Looking down, Luna bites her lip for a moment. "Both me and Celly realized in that moment that the only tracks leading there had come from us and whatever we were chasing it didn't disturb anything in its passing."

The slight shiver going down Harry's spine has little to do with the fact that he's slightly cold. "You... were chasing a ghost...?"

Luna shakes her head and sighs. "That's the thing, even after all these years, I am still not sure what we were chasing." Snorting a little, she continues. "And that was when things turned weird."

Raising an eyebrow, Harry gives her a look. "'Weird'?"

Tilting her head as she rolls her eyes, Luna groans. "Okay, _weirder_. Better?" At his nod, she rolls her eyes before going on. "Anyways, at that point me and Celly were going to leave when we remembered it was time for the moon to rise and the sun to set." Luna slowly shakes her head with a bemused smile. "Maybe the ones raising the moon were a bit early. or maybe the ones setting the sun were late. Whatever the reason, they were both in the sky at once, illuminating the scene." She then looks Harry directly in the eye. "And, in that moment, me and Celly saw something glint. Something we were drawn too."

Now intrigued, Harry leans forwards. "So what was it?"

A smile on her face, the blue Alicorn smiles. "A clear spring. But it was what was at the bottom that caught our attention. For there, under its glass-like surface rested six perfect gemstones of different colors. All of them radiating magical power like you would not believe." Shaking her head, Luna sighs. "We were going to leave them there. Celly really wanted to leave right then and with the history of the place, we had good reason to. But then... the evening breeze carried past us a smell while ruffling out manes... a familiar smell of parchment and ink."

Feeling his jaw drop, Harry shakes his head in amazement. "Your mother!"

Shrugging, Luna shakes her head. "To this very day, I don't know. But we both had this urge to take the gems and so we did. Strangest thing was that the spring's water was salty and a few days later there was an earthquake and when we returned there was no sign it, the spring, had ever been there." She then holds out a hoof and stares at it as if she was holding something. "Those six gems had been laying there, in a place where three powerful Alicorns had made perhaps the ultimate sacrifice for those they loved and cared for. Where the ground was positively _saturated_ in their magic..." She shakes her head in amazement. "The amount of power that they had held was amazing. And as it turns out when we brought them back they were perfect for the use we had in mind at the time."

Shaking his head, Harry looks down in thought. "Sounds like they were already powerful as Hay. So... how would you use them? And what does this have to do with the Heart of Friendship?"

Luna grins a little. "The idea was to use the gems as a battery containing the magic from the Heart. See, once a year on the day that Equestria was Founded, Pansy, Smart Cookie, and Clover would meet and recreate the Heart of Friendship. Me and Celly would then hold the gems inside the Heart so that by using a spell cast on them, they would absorb as much power from the Heart as was possible. The rest of the time two would rest in the hooves of the leader of each Tribe. And in the decades to come, would absorb traits from them. From the Unicorns, famed for arcane might and their love of festivals, plays, and celebrations the two gems given to them would become the Elements of Laughter and Magic. From the Earth Ponies, who would give their neighbors a helping hoof without asking anything in return. As well as care given to those in their community, their gems became the Elements of Generosity and Kindness. And the Pegasi, known for being steadfast in defense of those they cared for and blunt truthfulness at times for both themselves and others came the Elements of Loyalty and Honesty. Year after year for the next three decades did they absorb the energies created from the Heart of Friendship. And then..." Hanging her head, she sadly sighs. "Then came the day when Pansy passed from this life. A year after that, Smart Cookie followed her winged friend leaving Clover the last of the 'Three Saviors' left alive. It tore her apart when it happened." She then shakes her head. "However, while the new nation was saddened, they were still comforted with the fact that the gems now gave off the same energy as the Heart. And while happy for that fact, it still didn't make up for the fact that she was now the last for Clover."

Seeing the look on Harry's face, Nightmare speaks up. "_Over time she recovered of course. She would feel the loss, but the ache would dull with the years. And then, she met the filly who would become her student. A powerful Unicorn by the name of __Lepidoptera._" Looking at Harry, Nightmare continues. "_Her magic was focused heavily on transformation magic as her butterfly Cutie Mark showed. Though granted she was no slouch in areas such as emotional and mental magics. Starswirl himself, though in his twilight years by that point, helped train her alongside Clover in the transformational magics he knew. By the time he passed just a few years later, she was one of the greatest Transfigurists known. A fact that would only become more true as time went on. And like Clover, she too was to be long lived._"

Luna nods. "And during that period, me and Celly continued on as advisors. Not just to the leaders, but the common person as well. We fielded many questions regarding magic, law, and politics. Not to mention advising on such matters as agriculture, science, mathematics We never asked for payment though we didn't mind an odd gift or two. This went on for years." Luna's expression then takes on one of distaste. "And then _he_ arrived."

Gulping, Harry rubs his arms a little as frowns. "_Discord_."

Luna nods. "Yes." Looking up, she takes a breath and lets it out. "Neither me or Celly could ever figure out why, perhaps there was no reason why he targeted Equestria. My theory though was that he saw what harmony there was and how we were ordering things as an affront." Looking back at Harry, she frowns. "It started out with what was basically small stuff. Odd storms and happenings like pranks. An entire river was turned into chocolate milk for example. Then one day he pulled off a decapitation strike by showing up during a meeting of the leaders and declared himself the ruler of Equestria. They attacked of course." She then grimaces. "He didn't kill them, thought he might as well had. He transformed them into animals before teleporting them elsewhere. We never did find them and it's likely that either they died from their new lifespans running out or were eaten by something..."


	7. Luna's Story Part 3

_Disclaimer: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is owned by Hasbro and Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling._

"Hello"-Normal Speaking  
"_Interesting..._"- Nightmare Moon speaking.  
'Huh'- Normal Thoughts.  
'_All mine..._' Nightmare Moon's thoughts

* * *

Sitting in front of Luna once more, Harry slowly leans back against Nightmare. "So some more history now?" Luna nods with a slightly thoughtful look. "So we were at the point where Discord managed to take over Equestria..."

Luna sighs at this. "Yes." She then shakes her head. "Well, after he took over, he declared himself ruler of Equestria. Now, Celly and I did try to fight back along with a number of others, but we failed to do any lasting damage and the fighting died out within a week as the survivors needed to retreat and heal, though the Resistance would continue onwards until his defeat."

Nightmare then takes over. "_At first, his 'Pranks' were not truly harmful. At the most he twisted personalities and made Ponies and others do things that they would never do otherwise. The worse, however, was to come._" She then grimaces. "_He slowly grew bored with what he was doing and turned to other avenues. For example, he would switch a Pony from one species to another for chuckles. Turning a Unicorn into a Earth Pony or Pegasi and so on._" Nightmare's lips twitch some. "_Ironically, this would promote harmony as Ponies of different types began to understand each other._"

Harry raises an eyebrow. "Okay, that sounds pretty horrific right there. But... I'm guessing that he went far farther then that?"

Luna scowls. "Very much farther." She then rubs at her eyes. "As time went by his 'Jokes' became more and more vicious in nature. He became bored with the lighter ones. One of his nastier ones had to do with this one town in the Everfree Glade." Luna's expression slowly darkens. "He would make bad things happen there whenever a Pony gained a Cutie Mark or bad things would happen to Ponies who had one. He had cast a spell there that continued for more then three decades after his defeat that did the same thing. Eventually, the villagers there believed that Cutie Marks were cursed and so it became a village of... for lack of a better term, 'Blank Flanks'."

Harry raises an eyebrow at this. "Surely some Ponies there had to have gained Cutie Marks. Pretty much impossible for them not to have." He then frowns. "And was this the village where that disaster occurred with the Unicorn foal?"

Luna slowly shakes her head. "No, this village... Sunnyville I believe, was an Earth Pony only village. The Unicorn village was not too far away though, you could just see it from the tree tops outside of Sunnyville." She frowns a bit. "Though from what I remember the magical wave did pass by them, but they didn't want to leave..." She then shakes her head free. "As for what happened to those that got Cutie Marks, we were told that the villagers banished them. While Celly believed them, I always had this odd feeling that there was more going on. Never could prove it though as I had little time due to my duties and the Night Guard had other duties besides watching a single town to see what happened when one of the foals gained Cutie Marks."

Nightmare sighs. "_Anyways, back to Discord's reign..._"

Luna grumbles some. "Right." She then clears her throat. "Discord did far worse then that I'm afraid. For example, he twisted some trees around and created a creature known as a Timberwolf. A wolf like predator made out of living wood that mainly hunted at night. The bastard thought it great fun to have them stalk and chase unsuspecting Ponies through the wilds at night."

Nightmare nods a bit before tossing in her own bit. "_And then there was that group of mares._" Seeing Harry's questioning look, she shakes her head. "_They were downright terrified of snakes. Discord found each one and slowly drove them towards one and other. Once they were altogether, they found several stallions._"

Harry raises an eyebrow. "I'm... not getting a good feeling from this..."

Nightmare grimaces. "_And you shouldn't._" She then scowls. "_See, once more Discord messed with their heads and had them fall in love with said stallions. Then, one morning after they all laid with their mates, they woke up to find that the stallions had reverted to their true forms... monstrous serpents._" Seeing the sickened look on Harry's face, she shakes her head. "_That wasn't the worst bit I'm afraid. See, the mares became pregnant and gave birth to half pony, half snake children that became known as Lamias._"

Luna then takes over. "The Lamias eventually became vicious and cruel due to the treatment of their mothers, forced by Discord's spell to keep their children alive but not much else... all except one of them." Luna then shakes her head and looks at the sky. "Her daughter's name was Juniper. And while frightened and disgusted by what happened to her, Juniper's mother tried her best to take care of her and love her daughter... until one day..."

Harry closes his eyes and takes a breath. "Until one day the children snapped."

Luna nods. "Yes. They snapped and killed their mothers in a brutal bloodbath." Luna then sighs and looks down. "Except for Juniper. She came home with some flowers for her mother, only to be attacked by the Lamias. They were jealous of how she was treated by her mother and so sought to kill them both along with their own mothers." Seeing Harry open his mouth, Luna shakes her head. "I've met and knew Juniper for years Harry."

Harry simply nods and digests that for a moment. "So... she got away?"

Luna sighs and nods. "She did, but only because her mother saved her. I don't know the whole story, but her mother shielded her with her own body and flung them both into a nearby river." A tear slowly drips from Luna's eye. "Her mother would die of her wounds and Lamia venom in Juniper's embrace. After burying her, Juniper went on to find a cave nearby to live in." Luna scowls fiercely as she slams a hoof into the lunar dust. "And so it went." Luna then looks at Harry directly with tears in her eyes. "He never killed on purpose and went out of his way to prevent deaths. But that was only so that he could continue playing his games."

Nightmare nods. "_What he did to Lepidoptera was the worst I think personally._"

Raising an eyebrow, Harry turns to her. "How so?"

Nightmare grimaces before sighing as she answers. "_Lepidoptera when she was young was a happy princess of one of the Unicorn Principalities. However, when Discord arrived she was caught off guard like the rest of us. But, while we managed to escape, she didn't. Now, Discord thought her wings were quite nice and so he transformed her into a horrifying amalgamation of pony and insect in order to, according to what she said, make her complete._"

Harry turns slightly green at that. "I think I'm going to be sick..."

Nightmare simply shakes her head. "_What was more horrific was that when she escaped during a rebel attack ten years on, we found that we could not reverse it. So, while me and Celestia worked to train and raise an army to defeat Discord, Clover and Lepidoptera worked to undo the magic. They did manage it just after we beat Discord, but..._"

Harry closes his eyes. "More then twenty years as something like that would mess with anyone's mind."

Luna nods. "Yes, and when you consider that she had to deal with having both a insect's mind and a Pony's mind in the same body..." Luna shudders as the thought crosses her mind. "She was never the same afterwards."

Harry shudders himself before moving and wrapping his arms around the Lunar Princess. "You don't have to tell me anymore about what he did Luna..."

Luna just gives him a smile as she nuzzles him. "Thank you. I'd rather not remember everything he did..." She then sighs. "But there is a bit more to tell you." She then shifts a little. "At the time, Equestria was a small nation, very small."

Harry raises an eyebrow. "How small is small?"

Luna just chuckles a bit before answering. "Equestria was actually not much bigger then what I suppose Ireland is. To the east was Auroch, a country of cattle with their allies the country of DeBoar with several smaller countries of other beings clustered with them . To the west was the great wooded forests of Canis, inhabited by the Canids, a race of bipedal, intelligent dogs. And to the south... to the south was the desert kingdom of the Gryphon Empire, ruled over by their Pharaoh."

Harry blinks for a moment. "Didn't they help?"

Luna shakes her head sadly. "They didn't." She then scowls. "Me and Celly went to each country and requested help and aid for our people. All of them denied us. The Canids were generous among each other, but not to us ponies. The Aurochs, were a kingdom of artists and scholars and thought it best to lay low. The DeBoars? Obsessed with personal hygiene and fine foods wanted nothing to do with those who, in their words, would go to bed dirty from the fields. And the other countries around them would not do anything unless Auroch and DeBoars did. As for the Gryphons... Celly argued with me about going to them. She, like me was disgusted with how they treated their sibling race, the normal Griffins, as second class citizens at best. My argument was that we had to at least try."

Seeing her scowl, Harry sighs. "And considering what you've told me about them, that didn't turn out great."

Nightmare simply snorts in derision. "_That would be putting it mildly._" Glaring at nothing in particular, she continues. "_The bastard stated that he would help as long as we became part of his empire, giving him 'Tribute' for his protection._" Nightmare's lips then twitch. "_But neither me or Celestia were going to have our little Ponies free from one enslaver, only for another to take their place._"

Harry simply shakes his head. "Can't say that I blame you for that." He then frowns. "So then how did Equestria grow? Did you conquer the surrounding nations as payback for them not helping you?"

Nightmare snorts and shakes her head, an amused glint in her eyes. "_As much as I wished that were the case, it was not._" Ignoring Luna's scowl, she grins. "_What did happen was what I do believe one would call karmic payback._"

Harry raises an eyebrow at this. "Oh?"

Luna sighs a bit and shakes her head. "While I would not have put it in the same way as Nightmare, she is correct as the best term would be a 'Karmic backlash'." She then grimaces. "About five years before his defeat, Discord had a 'celebration' of sorts and so invited the rulers of the neighboring kingdoms to send representatives to it."

Harry groans and places his face in his palm. "They didn't..."

Luna shakes her head. "Not all of them." She then shrugs. "The Gryphon Pharaoh was no fool and used the excuse that he was putting down another rebellion. Auroch, DeBoars, and Canis as well as the smaller countries did so." She then gestures with a hoof as she continues. "The Auroch diplomat did not like his 'Art'. The DeBoar's one did not like the food or drink served, and the Canid one thought him a bit too greedy. None of this as you can imagine went down well."

Harry just groans. "No, I imagine not."

Nightmare grins a little. "_As I said, they had brought it upon themselves when they decided to be arrogant._" Her grin fades a little. "_Though it was horrific for them._"

Seeing Harry's raised eyebrow, Luna sighs. "For the next couple of years, those nations found that monsters from inside Equestria somehow appeared within their boarders. Of course, Discord disavowed any knowledge of where they had originated." Luna then shakes her head. "Me and Celly once we discovered this fact, tried stopping them from our side of the boarder while those military forces in the countries coming under attack did their best to limit the damage, but there was a lot of devastation nonetheless..." She then hangs her head and slowly shakes it. "Perhaps if we had not used so much power against Discord before we sealed him using the Elements then they might have had the power to undo all the evil he had done. But he was simply too powerful from feeding on the chaos he had generated over the years to undo all he had done."

Harry blinks a little. "Come again?"

Nightmare gives him a look before her eyes widen. "_Ah, I see._" Seeing him turn towards her, she continues. "_You see Harry, Discord under normal circumstances is roughly as powerful as Celestia, the Little Princess, or myself. But, he feeds on chaos and uses it to boost his strength. When he had first taken over, the chaos he had created was just enough to allow him to overpower us. And by the time the events leading to his defeat occurred, he could have fought our Mother or Father in combat along with us and possibly have created a tie._"

Luna then takes over. "Which was why it took so much power to undo what he had done in Equestria alone. We had managed to bring back many of the Ponies he had discorded and undo the worst of the damage to the environment in Equestria and the original monsters that he had created, but, sadly, that was all that we could do. Everything else..."

Harry then cocks his head to the side. "Couldn't you have used the Elements a second time then? And undone more?"

Luna slowly shakes her head. "By the time we had found out about all the other issues, it was too late. The monsters lurking in those countries went on a devastating orgy of destruction with the loss of Discord. And combined with what he had done personally just before being defeated..." Sighing, she closes her eyes. "Perhaps if we had used the Elements much sooner a second time we might have prevented those countries from falling. Maybe. And perhaps they could have rebuilt with less monster attacks with more of the original generation gone."

Nightmare also shakes her head. "_And by that time, enough of the original generation of monsters were in those countries that they established breeding populations in the chaos that was created by the countries falling apart._" She then shrugs. "_We might have wiped out their entire species in an attempt to save them._" She then sighs. "_Perhaps with a second blast right after, we could have taken out enough of the originals that the countries could have had the time to get back on their feet._"

Harry then nods as they slip into thoughtful silence for a few moments. "So how did you defeat him then?"

Both Luna and Nightmare gain identical pained expressions. "It was due to a combination of factors Harry. Part of it was that Auroch, DeBoar, and Canis all attacked at the same time. At the time me and Celly didn't know why, but later we figured it was to destroy the source of the monsters at their source. Discord turned and started fighting them, but took his sweet old time and so got weakened due to his arrogance though the devastation he caused was pretty much complete. The real danger was from the south though."

Harry is confused for a moment. "The Gryphons?"

Nightmare nods. "_Yes. Their Pharaoh had his own ideas as to how to deal with him._" She then wipes a hoof across her face. "_Using their own weather controlling abilities, they caused a massive drought as far into Equestria as they could while Discord was busy. And using hot desert winds, dried out the land even farther._"

Getting an inking of as to the reason, Harry takes a breath. "Why though?"

Luna grimaces. "All the others pursued the idea of taking out Discord himself, but the Pharaoh was different. He figured out that Discord had been feeding off the chaos he was generating. However, he also believed that Discord needed _living_ beings in order to feed. And so he pursued a literal 'Scorched Earth' policy." Her expression starts darkening as she continues. "Once Discord returned from beating down the other countries, weakened but still powerful, the Pharaoh struck. In a single night he had hundreds of fires lit in the southern regions of Equestria and using their control over weather, rapidly spread it using the hot, desert winds." Luna slowly shakes her head, speaking around the lump in her throat. "Neither me or Celly knows how many died, but it was easily thousands of Ponies. Stallions, Mares, or foals, the Pharaoh just them all put to the sword. Those who tried to outrun the fires where slaughtered by attacks from above." She then shakes her head. "It didn't take long for Discord to arrive, angry that someone had been killing his playthings."

Nightmare then takes over. "_Before we go farther, there's a few things that you have to understand about the Gryphon Pharaoh. One of which was that he was a sorcerer_" Seeing Harry's eyes widen, she nods. "_Royal Gryphons could in fact use magic much like a Unicorn could._" She then narrows her eyes as she hisses. "_However, they used black magics the like of which even I would not._" She then closes her eyes. "_They thought nothing of using magic to destroying the free will of a large segment of their slave population and using them as soldiers. And that's not counting their libral use of necromancy._"

Harry starts going pale at that. "Necromancy..."

Luna nods. "Yes Harry, that despicable type of magic was used by the Royal Gryphons." She then snorts derisively. "In fact, that was how the Pharaoh created the illusions of being a living god." Seeing his confusion, she shakes her head. "Like the Pharaohs of your own world, the Gryphon ones were worshiped as gods."

Harry clears his throat a little. "So how did they manage it then?"

Nightmare shakes her head. "_Like the ones in Ancient Egypt, the Gryphon Pharaohs were sorted into Dynasties. As you went through each successive generation, they would get more and more powerful. From our own research, how they did it was simple. Each time one reached the end of their life, their successor would perform a ritual allowing them to absorb the magic and whatever life-force was left into themselves. The Pharaoh at the time, Gakaotah the eighth, was very powerful being the last of the longest lasting dynasty._" She then scowls. "_Now that you have some background, it's time to continue._" She waits for Harry to nod before doing so. "_Now, when Discord fought back, he got a nasty surprise. The Gryphon Pharaoh was ready for him and raised a massive army of the living and the dead. The living portion was mostly normal Griffins who were brainwashed into sacrificing themselves for the Pharaoh or any Royal Gryphon nearby._"

Luna then takes over. "The dead portion was the reanimated corpses of slaves filled to the brim with necromantic energies. He had to have been building that up over the previous quarter century by that point. They too, had a nasty surprise." Seeing the slightly sickened, slightly inquisitive look, she goes on. "When one was destroyed, it would detonate into an explosion of necromantic energy. Anything alive caught in it would be instantly killed. The undead would be healed and Discord would be took him a while, but finally Discord managed to beat back the Pharaoh's army before confronting the ruler himself. After a long, and very brutal battle as the Pharaoh did not care who he killed accidentally, Discord finally stood triumphant over him... Only for him to pull one last attempt to kill the spirit of chaos."

Harry, who's been listening with wide eyes, gulps. "And what was that?"

Luna's expression and eyes darken considerably. "He unleashed one final spell that had used a ritual array hidden in the capital city's very streets to forcibly convert all the life force and magic of the inhabitants into necromantic energy, killing them all, tens of thousands of lives snuffed out in one final attempt by a mad being to kill something unkillable."

Nightmare nods. "_Yes. And of course it didn't work._" She waves with her hoof as she goes on. "_Oh, sure, it badly hurt Discord. And the only good thing was that the backlash was enough that the surviving normal Griffins in Equestria were freed and took off for the northern mountains. And they would later round back and grab any others they could though Discord's revenge was massive._" Nightmare slowly closes her eyes. "_With his power he created a massive sandstorm and covered the remains of the capital city in sand as well as wiping out almost all life in the Gryphon Empire whether it was innocent or not._" She then looks up at the orb overhead. "_He then returned to Equestria and that was when the battle truly began._"

Luna nods. "Yes." She then sighs and she leans into Harry. "While all this was going on, me and Celly were not idle. We gathered up our forces and began a push to the where the old capital of Equestria was. It took time, but we reached it just as Discord returned, badly weakened due to his recent battles." She then grimaces. "Then, while the army above did battle against him and numerous Ponies and other beings died to buy us time, me and Celly went to find the Elements deep below the city. It was our hope that perhaps being a being so similar to the Windigoes, that perhaps the energy from the Heart of Friendship might be able to perform a similar effect." Luna then closes her eyes as some tears leak from them. "We found them and returned to the surface as quickly as we could, only to find that the army had nearly been wiped out. And there, above it all, injured and yet still alive was Discord. We were stunned at the devastation that met us, that we didn't see his attack until Typhoon's mother, Thunderstrike, pushed us both out of the way. She... didn't survive the attack."

Watching as Harry wraps his arms around the distraught Alicorn, Nightmare closes her own eyes, seeing the memories from that day. "_After that, I and Celestia took to the air and started fighting Discord there. The Elements, not yet activated, did not provide much more then a power boost._" She sheds a tear as she goes on. "_And while that battle was less devastating then the one our parents perished in, it still tore the heavens and earth asunder._" Snarling, she hangs her head as she stomps the ground creating a cloud of dust. "_And yet, that still was not enough as he was still beating us. In fact..._"

She takes a shuddering breath Harry reaches over and strokes his fingers through her mane while doing the same to Luna on the other side. "I am so sorry... I shouldn't have asked..."

Luna just shakes her head against his shoulder before looking up at him. "No Harry, you have the right to know... and so few know the whole story behind it that..." She then looks down. "Do you know that most seem to think that me and Celly defeated him on our own? That we had no help from others to do so?"

Harry blinks for a moment and then looks down. "Really? But... I would have thought that you and Celestia would have told them otherwise."

Nightmare grimaces and leans into his embrace. "_We __**have**__. But our subjects just wave it off as us being modest. And... that's the greatest disservice to those who died that could be done._"

Luna nods slowly. "And that's why it's important for you to know the truth of what happened Harry." She then looks him right in the eye. "If even one person or pony knows what happened, and more then that believes that, then they will not be forgotten. Their sacrifice will be remembered by someone other then me, Celly, or Nightmare... all that pain, all that grief... the loss... it will be remembered for what it is. And it would not be swept under the rug as it's _meaning_ would be known."

Seeing how important this is to the two of them, Harry simply nods for them to continue. "Okay."

Luna nods as she leans in again, drawing strength from her best friend. "It... was horrible. Even together me and Celly working together could not beat him. Finally, we were both exhausted when he shot two blasts of pure chaos at us... only for Typhoon's draconic father to fly in the path and throw a spell at Discord, stunning him. I remember him looking at us as the spell blasts hit. His last words being 'Make it count' before his shattered body fell to Earth." Squeezing back tears, Luna takes a shuddering breath. "And at the same time, all the Unicorns, Pegasi, Earth Ponies, and others... all those citizens of Equestria threw all they had left at Discord. And it was at that moment, seeing that, that something awoke in me and Celly."

Harry sucks in a breath. "The Elements..."

Luna's lips twitch some. "Yes." She then looks at him. "Somehow, the emotions running through me and Celly awoke them fully and the feeling... to this day I can't fully describe it Harry. It was... electrifying... terrifying... comforting... there are no words that express what it truly felt like..."

Harry watches her for a moment before shaking his head in amazement. "Wish that I could feel what it was like..."

Luna looks at him for a moment in thought before becoming serious. "Harry... how much do you trust me?"

Harry just gives her a raised eyebrow. "Alot Luna, you know that." Seeing her shake her head causes him to blink. "What?"

She sighs and looks him right in the eye, pulling away from his hug enough to do so. "Harry, how much do you _trust_ me...?"

Harry blinks for a moment and nods. "I trust you with my life."

Nightmare suddenly pipes up. "_And me Harry?_"

Still confused, he nods. "I trust you just as much."

Luna looks at her, only for Nightmare to return the stare. "_I know what you are planning and you do not have enough power alone to do it. Together, however, we do._"

Harry looks between them confused and a little frustrated at what's happening. "Okay, what the hay is going on?"

Luna sighs and looks back at him. "Harry, I know a spell that will allow you to experience a memory. There's a lesser version that lets you see it, but this one will immerse you into it will be as if its happening to _you_. It is an intensely... _personal_ experience hence why I need to know how much you trust me as that is an important part. All parties involved need to trust each other immensely for it to work properly. And with Nightmare helping..."

Nightmare's eyes widen as she whips around as she realizes something. "_Wait... you __**trust**__ me?_"

Luna nods. "Enough for this, yes. And apparently you trust me enough for this as you suggested it." Seeing Nightmare huff and look away, Luna cocks her head to the side as her lips twitch. A moment later, she turns back to Harry. "It's up to you if you wish to do this Harry. I warn you, it will be... intense."

Harry takes a breath and then nods. "If it's what you want to do Luna, I have no problem..."

Luna just nods with a small smile as her horn and Nightmare's lights up. "Any other questions?"

Harry gulps a little. "What do I need to do?"

Nightmare gives him a smile as her and Luna lay their horns on his forehead. "_Just relax and open yourself..._"

Taking a breath, Harry does so and his eyes slowly close. A moment later, they fly open and his pupils shrink to nearly nothing.

************ Flashback *********************

_Opening his eyes, Harry glares at the mismatched being in front of him and his sister as his powerful wings keep him aloft. He grimaces as every part of his body feels like it's on fire from the various aches and pains throughout it. His legs hurt, his wings, his head, even the tips of his mane and tail ache. Though only Mother knows how. And his horn just plain throbs in agony from the amount of power having been pushed through it in one battle. He glances at his sister through one swollen eye, her bruised and battered body looking like he feels as she shouts at the __**monster**__ before them. "DISCORD! Thine reign of tyranny ends here on this day!"_

_Discord gives a small grin, the various wounds on his body slowly closing as he opens his arms. "Aw, but I was just starting to have __**fun**__. Can't stop now you two." He then grins. "Hmm... I wonder what I should do first? Vanish those horns of your's or pluck your pretty little wings from your body..."_

_Harry just snarls as his glare intensifies, ignoring the pain flashing through his body not to mention how his magic is just about exhausted, the only respite coming from the three gemstones floating around him and lending him power. "Thou shalt not win this day fiend! For thou hast already lost!"_

_Discord snorts as the clouds and wind swirls around him. "'Lost' my dears? I think you have this completely backwards. Today is the last gasp of this... 'Resistance'." He finishes the word with finger quotes as he laughs. "All my foes came here all gift wrapped like little presents under a tree!"_

_Harry just smirks, slowly gathering what's left of his strength. "Thou does not understand what is happening! Thou hast united Equestria in a way it never has before! For today on this hour the beings of Equestria stand before thee and in say as one, that no! We shall not let thee win! We shall fight as one!"_

_Celestia laughs a little. "My sister art right Discord! All of Equestria is united against thee! We each fight for our neighbors, our friends, our family and loved ones! That spark, that spark of friendship and harmony that thee tried so hard to extinguish now burns brighter then it ever has before! It has become a blazing inferno that shalt consume you!"_

_And with those words the gems surround both Harry and his sister burst into light causing them to gasp as new strength flows into and through their battered forms, revitalizing them. Harry feels a pang of satisfaction as the being that has terrorized the land for so long shields his face, fear appearent across it. "Wha... WHAT IS THIS!"_

_Harry grins widely at the feeling flowing through him as he shouts at the spirit of disharmony. "THIS IS WHAT THOU CAN NEVER DESTROY! THE HOPES AND DREAMS OF EQUESTRIA ARE RIDING ON US AND WE SHANT NOT FAIL THEM!"_

_What follows is a resumption of the battle as with new strength Harry and Celestia fight Discord, the magical field around them shielding them against his strikes as if they were pebbles. All around the God of Chaos, massive rainbow colored explosions occur as his foes twist and weave at high speeds around him. Each hit sapping more and more of his strength. Finally, Harry and Celestia come to a stop in front of the hurt spirit as Celestia watches him. "Give up Discord. It is over and thou hast lost. Give up now and we shall show thee mercy that thou hast not shown others."_

_Discord just snarls, all humor gone from his face as he pants, the situation of just a few minutes ago completely reversed. "I SHALL NOT SURRENDER! I WILL NOT LOSE TO... PONIES!"_

_Celestia just sighs, a single tear dripping from her eye. "So be it Discord. Let thee remember that thou hast brought this upon thyself."_

_Harry and Celestia float there, his dark blue wing tips touching her white ones as the glowing orb of power brightens as a rainbow becomes visible wrapping around it. Eyes wide, Discord gathers the last of his power as he shakes his head, spittle flying from his mouth. "No... NO! IT WILL NOT END LIKE THIS! I REFUSE TO LET IT!" And at the same moment he fires it at the two, the two Alicorns fire a beam made of a rainbow at him. The two beams hit and fight dominance as both sides pour on the power. Discord grins as his beam of pure chaos starts to win out. "Yes... __**YES!**__" A moment later though, the orb around Celestia and Harry pulses and the rainbow beam gains in strength, overcoming and absorbing Discord's, and gaining power from it. "NO!"_

_He gives one last roar of defiance before the rainbow covers him. As it cocoons him , the orb blows outwards revealing two exhausted Alicorns as it starts covering Equestria and fixing the worst of the damage, the six gems giving off some light as they watch the rainbow dissipate. Swallowing heavily, Harry tries to see through it. "Is it done sister? Hast the beast been defeated?"_

_A moment later the rainbow fully disappears revealing a now petrified Discord who starts falling towards the ruined city below. Breathing a sigh of relief, Celestia turns to Harry. "Indeed it has Lulu... indeed it has."_

_Not reacting the name, Harry slowly nods. "That's... good..."_

_Suddenly, all strength leaves him as he, like Discord just had, begins to fall towards the ground far below. Above, Celestia's eyes widen as she dives. "LUNA!" Reaching Harry, she grabs him, only for her own exhaustion to catch up and sap her own strength. Soon, she's falling beside Harry who looks at her with hooded eyes from tiredness and pain as all the aches return. "It is done... and I am glad..."_

_Celestia just nods as she embraces Harry, the two spiraling in the air. "As am I dear sister. And now... at the end of it all... we can finally rest... knowing that we did our duty... and those we watch over are safe..." Spotting the ground coming close, Celestia manages one last flap of the wing placing her below Harry as she curls protectively around him. A moment later they hit the ground with a bone shattering impact causing Harry's vision to go black..._

***************** Flashback end ************************

Eyes wide, Harry jerks breathing hard as his heart races a mile a minute in his chest while Luna and Nightmare pull away. Clutching at his chest, Harry jerkily looks behind him, only to confirm that he's back in his body and he has no wings. Blinking slowly, Luna gives him a worried look. "Are you okay Harry?"

Harry just nods, the adrenalin rushing through his veins slowly dying down. "Ye-yeah... I think that I am." Blinking rapidly, he shakes his head. "I know that you said that it would be intense but..." He looks at her with a stunned, amazed look in his eyes as tears run from them freely. "That... somehow saying it was incredable makes it seem... less..."

Nightmare just nods as she lets out a yawn, giving him a slight nuzzle. "_I know..._"

On his other side, Luna also nods as she looks at him sleepily. "Sorry Harry... seems that the spell made me more tired then I thought..."

Harry gives a nod as he too yawns as tiredness starts to overtake him. "Hey, Luna?" He lays back against a crater's rim as Luna leans into him on one side, Nightmare on the other. "Was that what it really was like... Both the Elements and being an Alicorn?"

She gives a chuckle before nodding, her eyes slowly closing "Mm-hm..." After a moment, she lets out a sigh. "Harry? Is it okay if we continue this tomorrow."

Harry smiles some. "Yeah... I don't think that I can keep... my eyes open for much longer..."

Luna sighs. "That's... good..." And together, the three drift off completely into the land of dreams...


	8. Luna's Story Part 4

_Disclaimer: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is owned by Hasbro and Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling._

"Hello"-Normal Speaking  
"_Interesting..._"- Nightmare Moon speaking.  
'Huh'- Normal Thoughts.  
'_All mine..._' Nightmare Moon's thoughts

* * *

Once again sitting in front of Luna and leaning back against Nightmare, Harry gets comfortable. "So... we were at the point where Discord was defeated, right?"

Luna slowly nods. "We were." She then crosses her forelegs with a sigh. "The first two weeks were hard Harry. Very much so." She then closes her eyes. "Celly and I were badly enough injured that even with our fast healing it took that long to be able to move around without the pain overcoming us." She then shakes her head with a single tear. "And then there was all those to be buried and the rebuilding yet to come."

Harry grimaces as he can guess how bad it was. "That bad, huh?"

Nightmare nods. "_Yes._" She then sighs and shakes her head. "_Equestria at the time was pretty fractured as with Discord's decapitation strike, none of the original rulers were around. The Ponies needed someone to guide them._"

Harry nods. "So you guys and Celestia stepped up."

He's slightly shocked as Luna shakes her head. "As a matter of fact, no." She then lifts up her hoof and tilts it from side to side. "While the two of us were recovering, we would, when we could manage it without passing out from the pain, go to the meetings. At those meetings all the highest remaining ranking members of the government from before Discord were there as well as the various leaders that rose up during his reign. All of them had their own ideas as to what to do. It was all me and Celly could do to keep Equestria from falling apart in the wake of Discord's defeat as in some cases old hatreds began to surface among the older members."

Harry facepalms as he shakes his head. "Idiots..."

Nightmare snorts before shaking her head. "_Indeed Harry, that they were._" She then chortles a bit. "_But the older members did not expect what happened next._"

Luna's lips twitch as she continues. "One of the younger leaders, having grown up with the two of us leading the Resistance against Discord as it were, suggested that we become the new rulers as we embodied all three tribes in a single pony." She then groans. "It would have likely been left at that, except for the other young leaders agreed as did those of the older generations who remembered how we advised the previous rulers and the common pony alike."

Harry blinks at this before raising an eyebrow. "And you never tried to stop them?"

Luna snorts and rolls her eyes. "We would have, except this was at a time when both Celly and I were confined to our beds as we were racked with pain from having strained our still healing wounds." She then scowls. "By the time we recovered enough to try to interfere, it was too late. The intermediary council had decided that we would lead them as their new leaders. And the news spread rapidly with great fanfare." She then sighs. "We just didn't have the heart to stop it by then as it gave hope and relief to our Little Ponies." Her frown then becomes a smirk. "Thankfully, we managed to have our ranks as Princesses. Not as Queens as they had originally wanted." She then shrugs. "We thought that it would make us more approachable for our Ponies."

Harry then winks at her, his next words causing her to blush. "Not to mention that Queens can't have tea parties, right?"

Luna grumbles a little as she turns away. "Well... there was that as well I guess..." Seeing his smirk, she clears her throat. "_Anyways_, neither of us were happy with this, but we went along with it. At the time, we also decided to create a new military to help protect our new subjects while they rebuilt. Her's was the Solar Guard and mine was the Night Guard. We chose them from those that had fought beside us for so many years for the most part. Myself, I went and found Typhoon and offered her a place."

Harry raises an eyebrow as he watches Luna laugh. "What's funny?"

Wiping a tear from her eye, Luna shakes her head. "Well, just the fact that she turned me down. Wanted to wander around by herself I guess." Luna then shrugs. "Kept an eye on her as she journeyed around though at one point I lost track of her as she and her companion Juniper traveled beyond our boarders and across the Gryphon Desert. I later found out that they had reached the boarders of Zebrecia becoming the first Equestrians to reach that strange land. They then just journeyed around and helped various groups solve their problems and became legends before returning to Equestria." She laughs a bit. "Though when we later contacted the Zebra tribes about 300 years later, Typhoon and Juniper had by that point became considered in the same veins as some of their native spirits."

Harry leans forwards a bit. "So what happened? And how did they meet?"

Blinking, Luna softly smiles. "While she was journeying around, Typhoon took what I suppose could be called jobs to support herself. Basically, she would hear a rumor about a monster and go to the source. She would then slay the monster if she had no choice and get bits for it. One day, she got heard the rumor of a monstrous serpent beast that was terrorizing a small village. She went there and investigated. The townsponies... were not happy to see a 'Half-breed' like her." Seeing Harry scowl, she nods. "Yes, when I got the report from the Pony I had watching her, I was quite angry myself."

Harry's scowl just grows. "And let me guess, they were lying about the '_Monster_' terrorizing them."

Luna grimaces and nods. "They were." She then sighs. "Juniper had at that time settled in a nearby cave and stayed there. She was... very kind and soft spoken then to the point where she was very shy. She quite literally could not hurt a fly." She then closes her eyes in remembrance. "She was also a friend to the animals of the woods there and could calm them with a single glance. But, because she looked different, the Ponies wanted her dead or gone. And so when Typhoon arrived, they told her all sorts of lies." Luna then smirks as she opens one eye and winks. "They didn't count on Typhoon being smart and clever." Shaking her head in amusement, she continues. "Typhoon hid in the trees nearby and observed Juniper for several days and nights until she had seen enough." Luna then grins some as she pats the ground. "She went into Juniper's cave and had a discussion with her. I later found out from them that using Typhoon's sword, Juniper made a cut and smeared her blood onto it and gave it back. They then roughed up Typhoon's looks to make it seem like she had been in a great battle and was exhausted. Afterwards, Typhoon collapsed the entrance while Juniper used an underground stream to leave unseen. Once she was sure that Juniper was safe, Typhoon knocked the rest of it down."

Harry nods. "Smart. One way or the other there would be no checking the truth." He then frowns. "I'm guessing that the townsponies weren't happy though."

Luna gains a scowl as she shakes her head. "No, they weren't." She then glares at a small pebble between her forelegs. "They had been waiting for her to return to collect her payment and once she was there they surrounded her while wielding makeshift weapons." She then snorts. "Sadly for them, they didn't know two things. One, Typhoon was not exhausted and managed to fight her way out with little issue."

Harry raises an eyebrow. "And two?"

Luna gains a vicious smirk. "I was not nearly as kind as I am now back then." She then partially closes her eyes. "I made sure to spread the word of what they had done and focused on those communities that Typhoon had saved. After all, if they couldn't be trusted to keep their word when they had to be saved, how could they be trusted to keep their word when it came to something like trade? And without trade, the town died with it's ponies traveling to other communities."

Harry frowns a bit before shrugging it off as it was a different time and the Luna he knows is different from that one in a few ways. "So how did they meet up again?"

Luna softly smiles. "Actually, they met a few days later and that was when they traveled outside of Equestria. Once they came back, Juniper had learned a form of magic using potions to allow her to take on a normal, Earth Pony form. Of course, Typhoon had perfected her own special ability."

Harry's eyes widen as he smiles and leans forwards. "What was it?"

Luna chuckles a bit and shakes her head. "She referred to it as her 'Screaming Fireball' attack." She then holds out a hoof as she continues. "See Harry, dragon's fire is _very_ powerful. It can burn just about anything. But luckily, dragons are _slow_ fliers compared to most Pegasi. Pegasi are much faster then dragons, but they can't create an magical attack internally, just manipulate the environment around them to do so." She then leans forwards. "Typhoon was special in that she had the strength of both. Like her father, she could use dragon's fire. And like her mother, she was among the fastest of Pegasi." Luna then leans back. "She discovered one day that if she did a dive at high speed while holding her mouth open in preparation for using her flames, that it would cause the fireball to become even stronger and hotter while being more compact. And it was powerful enough that most monsters could only withstand one or two hits before either running, surrendering, or being killed."

Harry's jaw drops a bit. "Bloody hay!"

Luna nods. "Indeed. And Juniper had learned how to become a highly accomplished healer. While unable to use magic like a Unicorn, she was able to create potions and antidotes with ease. And unknown to most, she was an expert in poison. Together, the two were a team and traveled Equestria. They were... Hmm." Luna frowns thoughtfully before shrugging. "They were what I suppose humans might call 'Anti-heroes'." She then looks up thoughtfully. "But their biggest challenge was yet to come."

Harry raises an eyebrow at this. "Oh?"

Nodding, Luna sighs. "They were nearby when a mining town, in search of more metals, dug a new shaft. Problem being that the new shaft woke up a Draco Invictus."

Harry screws up his face a little. "A what now?"

Nightmare looks over at him. "_A Draco Invictus._" Seeing that he's still confused, she sighs. "_As you know, dragons in Equestria age slowly, but grow larger and more powerful as they age, right?_" Harry slowly nods. "_The oldest and most powerful dragons that you'll usually see is the Wyrms and Great Wyrms. And they themselves are few and far between as not many reach such an old age, or at least did not while we were living in Equestria._"

Harry raises an eyebrow. "So what is a 'Draco Invictus' then and how does it fit into dragon aging." He suddenly frowns. "Wait a second... doesn't that translate from Latin as 'Unconquered Dragon'?"

Smiling as he remembered some of the lessons she gave him, Nightmare nods. "_It does translate as such. It is intriguing how similar some of the languages of Earth are to ones in Equestria. Such as how Latin is to the Equestrian language of the wise._" She then shakes her head. "_Anyways, Draco Invicti are even rarer then the Great Wyrms. They are extremely old and powerful dragons capable of matching a Alicorn in pure power. They hardly ever wake up and spend most of what's left of their lives sleeping. Over the centuries, their bodies are often covered by dirt and vegetation to the point where they look like a hill or a mountain if above ground. However, this is the final part of a dragon's lifespan. About 1,000 years after this the fires sustaining them die off and their bodies petrify. What was once their organs, veins, and arteries becoming gem lined caverns._"

Harry then winces a bit. "Don't... dragons _eat_ gems though?"

Luna sighs and nods. "They do, but not gems from such caverns as such beings are often the closest that dragons have to 'gods'. Caverns like that are often used by the dragon's descendents as a safe nesting ground for them as the ambient magic from Draco Invicti will protect the eggs from most forms of harm."

Frowning, Harry slips into thought. "Are the caves under Canterlot an example then?"

Blinking, Luna rubs her chin. "I... never considered that..." She then shakes her head. "Anyways, the only one that I've known was one named Spykroplis and he reached that age a few years before..." Looking at Nightmare, she clears her throat. "But I'll get to him in a bit."

Nightmare nods before looking at Harry. "_Back to Typhoon and what happened._" She then closes her eyes to gather her thoughts before opening them. "_The town itself was on the edge of Everfree Glade as a matter of fact. However, with the digging of the shaft, the Draco Invictus awoke in a rage and started laying waste to the surrounding countryside. Typhoon and Juniper rushed to the town's aid. Juniper managed to shoot it with several of her poisoned arrows while Typhoon distracted it._"

Harry blinks before raising an eyebrow. "So where were you and your sister then?"

The two Alicorns share a scowl before Luna shakes her head. "Let me finish Harry, then I'll tell you, okay?" At Harry's nod, she continues. "Now, I never did find out what Juniper's special poison was, but it was powerful enough to hurt a Draco Invictus. Finally, Typhoon managed to get it to follow her into the sky by using her Screaming Fireball against it. Once in the air, she flew up into the clouds and smoke with it following. And using the cover, she then began attacking it from various angles creating flashes of light in the clouds."

Nightmare nods her head at this. "_Some of the Pegasus that were there likened it to a massive thunderstorm or some of the tales of the great Pegasi warriors of old._" She then smirks. "_By this time, and having fought and killed other dragons, Typhoon knew how to beat one. Using her own attack, she attacked the wings weakening them._"

Luna then takes over. "The old dragon however was wily and almost got her when it began twirling in midair, spraying fire every which way in an effort to kill her." Luna then shakes her head. "Typhoon must have had some deity of luck smiling down on her because besides a scorched tail, she survived. It too her a minute to put it out, but then she noticed the dragon diving back towards the ground, right in the direction of where Juniper was. And so she started diving right after it, trying to put on as much speed as possible."

Nightmare then nods and continues. "_She told us later that as she dove, the air seemed to get harder and harder to get through, almost like a cone formed around her. Meanwhile, Juniper had looked up from where she was gathering several foals to get them out of the ruined town to see the dragon with it's mouth wide open heading for them. But unknown to them both, Typhoon had caught up. Still gaining when..._" Nightmare smacks her hooves together hard making Harry jump. "_BOOM! Somehow she created an explosion of multicolored light that even Celestia and I saw from the other side of Equestria. She had already been gathering her own attack and continued to gather it until she couldn't hold it anymore which was just as she blew past the still stunned dragon. It then opened its mouth and started charging its own attack._" Nightmare then shakes her head a bit. "_From what she later told us, Typhoon was going so fast that when she twisted in the air to fire off her attack, she felt as if her neck, spine, and wings were about to snap._"

Harry shakes his head in a bit of amazement. "Must have been a powerful one then."

Luna nods. "It was. When the fireball left her mouth, she had been gathering it for a bit. And as I said, some deity of luck must have been her patron because the fireball shot into the Draco Invictus' own mouth and collided with its gathering attack." Her lips twitch a bit as she continues in a dry tone. "Celly and I were told that the explosion generated was immense and tore apart the Draco Invictus, its burning corpse falling to the ground back into the hole it had come from and causing the mines to collapse. It was then that me and Celly returned."

Leaning back into Nightmare, Harry can't help but shake his head. "Typhoon sounds pretty amazing." He then frowns. "Her and Juniper did survive with the town being rebuilt, right?"

Luna grimaces with a sigh. "Typhoon and Juniper survived, yes. But the town wasn't rebuilt, but rather abandoned." Seeing the questioning look from Harry, Luna shakes her head. "One of the abilities of a Draco Invictus is if it is killed. If it has time, it lays a curse on it's killer in order to have its revenge through the slayer's death. If it doesn't, it lays a curse on the land. In this case, a few days later a nearby river burst it's banks and flooded what was left of the town as well as the mines and hole where the Draco Invictus lay. And it stayed flooded, though by the time that the... fight with Celly occurred more then 400 years later, the area was more of a swamp then a lake due to sedimentation..."

As Luna slips into her thoughts, Nightmare looks at Harry. "_Once me and Celestia arrived and heard what had happened, I approached Typhoon and Juniper with the same offer as before. This time though, Typhoon accepted as did Juniper. Both were tired of wondering and so accepted._"

Harry nods. "So you invited Typhoon for her fighting ability and Juniper for her potions?"

Shaking her head, Luna sighs. "Yes, though really, only my Guard would have accepted them."

Raising an eyebrow, Harry leans forwards. "Oh? How so?"

Luna just shakes her head. "Celly and I built our individual Guards different. Her Day Guard was composed almost entirely of Pegasi and Unicorns. What very few Earth Ponies there were in it were relegated to such duties as armorer and logistics. In the Night Guard, I accepted anypony whether they were Earth, unicorn, or Pegasus, who wished to fight to protect Equestria and were willing to lay down their lives to do so if need be. As time went on, I would find that I was accepting other species as well such as Minotaurs. Needless to say this caused more then a little friction between my Guards and Celly's."

Snorting, Nightmare catches their attention. "_A 'little' friction Little Princess? Try a lot._" Ignoring Luna's flushed face, Nightmare turns to Harry. "_Not a month went by without the two groups getting into a fight. Usually, it was because one of the Day Guard would make a disparaging remark about a non-Pegasus or Non-Unicorn Night Guard. Which, considering how tight the comradery of our Night Guard was, would often end in a brawl._"

Harry just facepalms. "And of course, both sides were punished, correct." Hearing silence, he glances at the two Alicorns to see them looking away. "Wait, they weren't?"

Luna shakes her head. "Well... not exactly, because it would be one group's word against another. And most of the time we could never prove who started it. And the few times that there were witnesses outside the Guards, they would side with the Day Guards due to my... lack of popularity thanks to being associated with the night in a time where there were many monsters roaming around. So the most Celly usually did was leave the Day Guards involved off with some words while asking that I punish my Night Guards for turning it physical. Most I would do is have them clean the barracks and such as well as some words to let the insults go." She then sighs. "When the two of us first formed the Guards, we decided that only the Princess in charge of that branch could punish them. And not the other." She then shakes her head. "It was one of the many sources of tension that slowly tore us apart."

Nightmare nods for a second before stopping and facehoofing as she turns to Harry. "_Before I forget, you were wondering about where the two of us were at the time of the fight, correct?_"

Blinking, Harry nods. "Oh, right. Nearly forgot, thanks!"

Lips twitching, Luna shakes her head. "Me too Harry." She then becomes saddened. "It had to do with Lepidoptera."

Grimacing, Nightmare shakes her head as well. "_If Typhoon had the Lady Luck on her side, then Fate simply despised Lepidoptera._" Seeing Harry's questioning, but slightly disturbed expression, she sighs. "_For those twenty years me and Celestia rounded up the worst and most powerful monsters created by either Discord or his 'Father' and locked them in a prison we called Tarterus that went deep underground. Just outside the gate stood one of them which was a Cerberus, which Celestia had befriended that she called Cerey._" Seeing Harry's incredulous look, she shrugs. "_Naming for her was hit or miss._"

Rolling her eyes, Luna clears her throat. "As I was _saying_..." Seeing that she has their attention, she continues. "We weren't around because we had an issue involving Lepidoptera to deal with." Luna then shakes her head. "Poor mare just had fate give her one hit after another."

Harry clears his throat. "Because of Discord...?"

Luna shakes her head. "Because of her family." Seeing Harry's raised eyebrow, she sighs. "After the reign of Discord, the only pony that she had that was even like family was Clover. And she died about five years after Discord's defeat." Seeing Harry nod, she continues. "That left her all alone in charge of her own principality and with everything that had happened to her along with Clover's death... she was not in a good place mentally."

Nightmare shakes her head. "_That's putting it mildly. And what happened next was the final straw._"

Harry raises an eyebrow as he shifts a little. "Oh?"

Luna nods. "Her Principality was quite rich as a matter of fact. However, next door there was another Principality. It was ruled over by Count Pernicious, a very talented potions maker. He was quite envious of her little kingdom and sought it. With Clover's death he saw his chance and invited her to his castle. Distraught, she didn't have her guard up when he gave her something to drink." Luna's eyes narrow as they darken. "He had created a very powerful love potion that would become known as 'Love Poison'. It quite literally made him the center of her world and within a few weeks they were married, the kingdoms having been combined."

Sneering, Nightmare snorts. "_And while he may have been a great potions maker, he was a lousy ruler and began driving the Principality into the ground to feed his own tastes._"

Luna nods. "Yeah, and he made another mistake that caused his discovery to come sooner." Seeing Harry look at her, she continues. "As it turned out, Lepidoptera was only step one. Pernicious was aiming for something much bigger." She narrows her eyes. "Rulership over Equestria..."


	9. Luna's Story Part 5

_Disclaimer: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is owned by Hasbro and Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling._

"Hello"-Normal Speaking  
"_Interesting..._"- Nightmare Moon speaking.  
'Huh'- Normal Thoughts.  
'_All mine..._' Nightmare Moon's thoughts

* * *

*********************** Last time ********************

_Luna nods. "Yeah, and he made another mistake that caused his discovery to come sooner." Seeing Harry look at her, she continues. "As it turned out, Lepidoptera was only step one. Pernicious was aiming for something much bigger." She narrows her eyes. "Rulership over Equestria..."_

*********************** Now ****************************

Harry tries to work his mouth for a little while before he manages to get something. "He... no one could be that stupid..."

Luna sighs as she runs a hoof down her face. "I wish that I could agree with that Harry, I really do. But the fact was that, that he truly did try to do that."

Nightmare snorts a bit. "_In fact, he did not even wait as almost as soon as he was married to Lepidoptera before he started to **try** to romance Celestia._"

Harry just blinks at this before looking at Nightmare in confusion. "Wait a second..." He then looks at Luna with the same confused expression. "I know that here it wasn't uncommon for a noble to take on a mistress or what have you way back in the middle ages and such but..." He then raises an eyebrow. "Wouldn't it cause a problem for both Celestia and Pernicious as he was trying to cheat openly on his wife?"

Luna blinks at this before facehoofing. "I keep forgetting that you wouldn't know these things." Pulling her hoof away, she folds her forelegs over each other. "Before we continue, it seems that I have to explain some things about Equestrian culture when it comes to such."

Raising an eyebrow, Harry simply blinks. "How so?"

Luna sighs as she shakes her head. "Harry, one thing that you should remember back then was that birthrates were skewered towards females. And the ratio got worse especially back then as you increase the age."

Harry becomes thoughtful for a moment before looking at Luna. "Does this have to do with that time you told me that stallions were usually at the front of battle?"

Luna slowly nods. "That is a very big part of it." Shaking her head, she continues. "Back then, most families were members of what I guess you could call 'Clans'." She then gestures with a forehoof. "These were groups of families who were inter-related with each other." She then holds her hoof above her head. "At the top, was the clan Matriarch. This was the oldest mare in the family. Below her, would be the oldest mare in each family and so on. Our society is very... matriarchal in nature. For example, family lines aren't traced through the male side, but rather the female side."

Harry rubs his forehead for a moment before shaking his head. "So... Stallions had less rights?"

Nightmare shakes her head. "_No Harry, they has just as much rights as a mare did._" Looking at him directly, she continues. "_It was just that mares were more valued thanks to the fact that they could pass along the family name and titles. So most families would want a female foal, not a male to pass along their inheritance._"

Nodding, Luna takes over. "Both genders had their roles and strengths. While here on Earth, jobs such as homemaker and such met with derision for many years, in Equestria it was a highly respected duty as you would be 'taking care of the herd' as some referred to it." She then waves her hoof in the other direction. "Stallions, however, are for the most part physically stronger then a mare and more tough. And so, when it came to defense and hard physical labor, they were the ones to do so." Sighing, she shakes her head. "We Ponies are herd animals while humans are pack or tribal based. Because of that, a Pony never had to worry about their position in the herd as it was secure and everyone theoretically worked together for the betterment of all. Unlike in a human tribe where you could easily lose your position over something very small."

Harry blinks for a moment before looking at the sky in thought. "So then you didn't have issues between males and females that humans had?"

Waving her hoof, Luna shakes her head. "Not I never said that Harry."

Now Harry starts getting confused. "But you said..."

Luna's lips twitch a bit before she chuckles. "I know what I said Harry." Humming thoughtfully for a moment, she nods. "Ponies are by their nature very conservative in many ways and change socially slowly. Another is that due to our... mentality I suppose we can call it, it is commonly believed that certain roles should go to certain Ponies." She then waves her hoof a little. "A perfect example of this is with mares and stallions. While mares could fight and in some cases as well as or even better then a stallion, it was far more common for a stallion to be a fighter because such was expected of them socially. And the same came to the mares being in charge of the household. I knew some stallions who did very well in such a role, but it was more common for a mare to have that particular role because, as before, it was expected of them."

Nightmare then looks at Harry directly. "_Of course, placing stallions into the soldier position had issues. A stallion was physically capable of doing battle at an earlier age then a mare could have a foal. And with all the monsters around in those days..._"

Harry simply nods as the pieces start falling into place. "And because of that, the numbers of stallions would decrease even farther as they got older and older."

Luna nods as she smiles. "Yes, so by the time mares would reach the age where they could have foals, there was often substantially smaller pool of stallions to mate." She then shifts a bit and sighs. "Now that you can understand the issues, we can get back to your original question: Why did no one have issue with Pernicious courting my sister while he was married." She then clears her throat a little and continues. "Now, back then the most common form of marriage by far was monogamy. That is, one mare and one stallion. After that, though less common, was bigamy and polygamy. In both cases though, a single mare would be in charge of the group as an 'Alpha' of sorts."

Snorting, Nightmare catches Harry's attention. "_Of course, that's actual marriage. It was not uncommon even for monogamous couples for the stallion to be... hmm... how to put this..._" Tapping her chin for a few moments, Nightmare finally shrugs. "_For the stallion to be, for lack of better words, lent out to mate with an unattached mare who wished for a foal. These were of course almost always either relatives of the mare in the couple or very close friends. And the whole thing had detailed contracts written up and needed the agreement of all parties involved. If one said no, then it would be dropped._"

Leaning back, Harry nods. "So there were no issues with him courting Celestia?"

Luna shrugs. "Besides Lepidoptera's principality not being that large or her being that highly ranked?" She shakes her head. "Not really, no." Chuckling, she grins a little. "That's not to say that she enjoyed his... shall we say... **attentions**..." Snorting, Luna's grin widens a little. "He was simply awful at romance or to quote Celly, 'He is the most vile, despicable, pitiable little annoyance that it is my misfortune to deal with.'"

Harry raises an eyebrow at this. "So he never tried to use a love potion on Celestia then?"Another thought strikes him at that moment. "And why didn't you or your sister ever notice what he did to Lepidoptera?" Seeing her grin vanish and replaced by a guilty expression, he flinches. "Sorry I..."

He trails off as Luna holds up a hoof. "Don't be sorry Harry, it was just one of mine and Celestia's first failures as Diarchies." Sighing, she shakes her hoof. "The only excuse that I could give was that I and Celestia were busy trying to rebuild the government at the time. Myself, I was often buried in various forms, plans, checklists, and the like. Sister however was often busy working on the social side of things." Blinking, Luna looks up while mumbling. "That might have been where issues started popping up between me and our subjects now that I think about it..."

Harry leans forwards a bit. "Oh?"

Looking first at him, and then at Nightmare, Luna waits until the larger Alicorn nods her head before getting up and walking over to where Harry is. Sitting down next him, she sighs. "During those twenty years, I was hardly seen outside of my study where I was sorting out a lot of the paperwork." Seeing Harry about to say something, she taps him on the shoulder and shakes her head. "Harry, I _enjoyed_ doing all the paperwork that went along with rebuilding the country. Plans, decrees, laws, checklists... it was like heaven to me..." She then chuckles seeing Harry's interested look before reaching over and laying her foreleg over his shoulder as she gestures with her hoof. "At the time, Celly and I were playing with our strengths. When it came to various fine details such as building codes and taxes, I was always the best at it. When it came to Celly, however, she was always more of a ponies... pony." She then frowns as her eyes cross. "Or a people's Pony." She then waves it off. "However you want to slice it, during those twenty years, Celly was seen far more then me by the public, so I suppose that around then was when they started seeing me as the mysterious younger sibling who hid in the shadows."

Harry grimaces a bit before laying his arm over her shoulders. "And Celestia?"

Nightmare rolls her eyes a bit. "_She spent much of the time having parties and such._"

Hearing that and seeing Harry about to say something, Luna scowls. "That's a half truth at the best and you know that." She then turns to Harry. "What balls, parties, and celebrations she held was to play to the nobles' egos and feed them. Add into the fact that we needed to keep the population focused on something other then all the problems relating to reconstruction..."

Harry frowns but nods. "It was smarter to keep them distracted by having them focus on something else and what better for that then various celebrations."

Nodding, Luna smiles. "Right." Her smile soon turns into a scowl though. "Sadly, that gave Pernicious the opportunity to bug... I mean, _court_ Celly." She then frowns. "And while Celly visited the various Principalities and kingdoms that made up Equestria, she would usually give a week or so notice before arriving."

Harry facepalms at that. "Which would give Pernicious all the time he needed to cover-up the issues."

Luna sighs but shakes her head. "And when you add in that she could only visit so many..." Hearing Harry groan, she shrugs. "As it was, I suspect that he tried several times to use a love potion of sorts on Celly, only for it to fail." Seeing Harry's look, she explains. "An Alicorn's magic naturally rejects that which could be harmful to us. It takes something very strong to get through that as at most, poisons would give me or Celly a slightly unpleasant feeling at the most."

Blinking, Harry smiles. "Huh, so then the love potions didn't do anything?"

Luna frowns a bit before answering. "I wouldn't quite say that. Pernicious was smart enough not to slip them into Celly's food or drink anywhere but in his manor. And even then, all it really did was make the visit just slightly more bearable from Celly's perspective. And that effect wore off quickly enough..."

Seeing her fall into silence, Harry eventually squeezes her shoulder causing her to look at him. "So how did you and Celestia come to find out?"

Shaking her head, the lunar princess sighs. "It was a combination of factors and it wasn't for a while that we became suspicious as we were in fact quite busy." She then tilts her hoof. "From Celestia, it was partially the change in Lepidoptera's personality. While before she was interested in all things magic like Clover, now all she wanted to talk about was her husband and how great he was. At first, we both shrugged it off as them being newly in love, though the way that Pernicious acted towards her set off some alarm bells. And where before she could be quite calm, she was suddenly emotionally all over the place. One minute she could be sitting there staring off into space and the next bubbly and excitable. Or she could become snappish towards one of the servants for a little thing."

Harry just stares at her in disbelief. "And that didn't set off alarm bells?!"

Luna rubs her forehead. "It did, but at the same time since the only time Celly ever saw Lepidoptera was when she visited, she would not think about it for an hour or so after her last bite to eat or drink. For a while, she dismissed it as her imagination or stress on Lepidoptera's part, as I am sad to say I did as well." Seeing his look, she shakes her head. "It was a stressful time Harry, and such things were not uncommon and with all the tragedy in her life..." Trailing off for a moment, she soon snaps out of her thoughts. "Then as the years went on and they didn't have a foal, Celly and I thought that it might be a side effect of a potion or spell to increase Lepidoptera fertility. Such reactions were quite common to such after all."

Nodding, Harry looks down in thought. "And if she was barren, it would make sense that he would look elsewhere for a foal."

Grunting, Nightmare gives him a proud look. "_Indeed Harry. In fact, that was an opinion that both Celestia and I shared._" She then scowls. "_Eventually, even that fell through as the fact he went after nopony else for a foal became apparent._"

Luna nods before continuing. "On my side, eventually I started noticing small discrepancies in things that had to do with her Principality. One of them was that less revenue came out of it then before or should since it was two Principalities merged. Another was that our annual census showed that the populations of the surrounding kingdoms and Principalities rose while Lepidoptera's fell. So, eventually I gathered up enough evidence and presented it to Celly. She added what she observed there, though she would trail off at times in thought."

His eyes widening, Harry gulps. "It was affecting her, wasn't it?"

Luna slams her hoof down in anger before squeezing her eyes shut with a hiss. "It did." Sighing, she opens her eyes and looks at Harry. "Even with an Alicorn's resistance, being exposed to the strongest love potion ever created did have an effect, even if all it was, was to make a conversation with him slightly bearable."

Harry nods. "And your suspicion was aroused enough that you both decided to look into it."

Nodding, the lunar princess gains a far off look. "We did. Celly, as was traditional, gave him a week's notice that we were both going to come. And while Celly prepared, one night I snuck into the Principality and looked around in the places where normally me and Celly would avoid." Running her hoof down her snout, she sighs. "Celly never really toured a Principality and mainly just went to the capitals such as they were. And when I looked around... that was when I saw how poverty stricken it was. That set off alarm bells as Lepidoptera loved her subjects very much."

Frowning, Harry shakes his head. "And that was when you figured out the discrepancies."

Nodding, Luna scowls. "He had drained the small kingdom of almost all it's worth almost to the point of collapse." She then sighs. "And then came the day of the official visit." She slowly leans into Harry's shoulder. "It was near the end where after observing it all where I had enough." She slowly looks up and shudders. "Celly had been playing the good visitor and had drank and eaten some and seemed quite relaxed around him. I myself had barely had anything and he seemed disappointed in that, but shrugged it off. And then he brought out a large dinner and a bottle of what he said was the finest wine produced in the Principality." Luna takes a shuddering breath before continuing. "He poured both me and Celly a large glass and we were about to drink it when I noticed something about Lepidoptera. She seemed to be struggling with something and in the depths of her eyes. It was pure despair and horror. Then Pernicious saw where I was looking and laid a hoof on Lepidoptera's knee and it all vanished as she turned to gaze at him."

Harry's eyes widen as he gulps. "And that's when you knew..."

Luna grimaces as she closes her eyes. "I figured out that something was wrong." She then snorts. "Unlike Celly, I was more impulsive and I showed it as a moment later, he found himself hoisted into the air alongside Lepidoptera. Celly soon found herself in the air when she demanded to know what I was doing and why though she was highly confused. After that was done, I stomped up to him and... _asked_ what he was done." Luna then opens her eyes some and snorts. "The foal then glanced at the food and drink, in particular the wine, in fear which told me everything. I cast a spell and it found and identified what type of potion as well as the potency of it." She then growls. "It was powerful enough that Celly would have likely succumbed to it somewhat."

Nightmare snarls. "_He got what was coming to him though._"

Glancing over at her, Harry forces down his own anger. "He got his, right?"

Smirking, Nightmare darkly chuckles. "_Of course Harry._" She then examines her hoof. "_As Celestia did not want him executed, being soft hearted as she was, he was instead gelded and exiled._" She then grins as her eyes become hooded, not seeing Harry wince and squeeze his legs together. "_And then, one day, he just so happened to find a bottle of wine..._"

Luna just shakes her head in mock surprise. "And being the swine he was, he gulped it down before turning to see a mirror..." She then sighs. "For some reason he couldn't stop gazing into it."

Clearing his throat, Harry winces a bit as he thinks it over. 'Ironic...' He then looks at Luna. "And Lepidoptera?"

Now it's Luna's turn to wince. "That..." She then rubs her face. "We had to clear both her and Celly out of any potions and that alone was not fun. While it was just the one for Celly, for Lepidoptera, it was a large number. He had used far more then just love poison on her." She then grimaces. "And so it took her longer to get cleared out, though there were remnants of them within her system for decades after." Luna then glances at Harry. "What happened next compounded the tragedy."

Blinking at her tone, Harry raises an eyebrow. "How so?"

Luna shakes her head. "While her system was being flushed of the potion, Celly had massive mood swings. One minute she could be crying, and the next raging with all the fury of a hurricane. During that time, I was handling affairs of state in her place, and I disliked it immensely." She then sighs. "During one of her darker moods, one of the nobles mentioned around her that she could restitution for herself from Pernicious' House for what he had done. And, not thinking clearly, she demanded such." Slamming her hoof into the moon, Luna growls. "In her mood, she forgot that since Pernicious had no family outside of Lepidoptera, it fell to _her_ House to pay for it."

Harry's eyes widen. "Oh no..."

Scowling, Nightmare nods. "_Indeed. In her mood she also forgot what restitution would be or possibly that she was no longer living a relatively minor station in life._" Nightmare just shakes her head. "_For what he did and the high crime of doing it against one of the High Sovereigns of Equestria, she forfeited all her lands to Celestia._"

Nodding her head, Luna looks down. "And by the time I found out due to being swamped with work, it was too late to do anything." Closing her eyes, a single tear drips from her eye. "For actions that she had nothing to do with, Lepidoptera lost it _all_ to Celestia. Her lands, her fortune, and her titles were all given to Celly."

Harry just stares at her in disbelief. "And she never tried to give it _back?!_"

Luna shakes her head. "She honestly tried Harry, but at the time, that law was so tied up with a number of others that would not be until Lepidoptera's death that we managed to figure out how, and by then..."

Nodding, Harry sighs. "It had no point."

Luna grimaces, but nods. "Yes." She then gazes into the sky above and sighs. "I think that was what finally broke Lepidoptera. All of the tragedy in her life lead up to that and she became a shell of who she once was. And then she hated and despised Celly for everything that happened."

Harry glances over at her. "Because of Celestia taking everything?"

Shaking her head, Nightmare grumbles. "_That was merely the final straw._" Seeing that she has Harry's attention, she continues. "_While she was under the potions' effects, Pernicious would rant at her and brag about his plan._" She starts scowling. "_He saw her as a test bed for the Love Poison and more then that, she was merely a stepping stone for him to grab Celestia. He did not see either of them as thinking beings, just as ways to gather more power and 'trophies'._" Nightmare then slowly shakes her head. "_He told her that with her wealth and lands added to his own, he then had enough status to get the chance to grab Celestia in his little web._"

Luna nods. "And so she came to despise Celestia for everything." She then shakes her head. "That's not to say that Celly did not try to at least be kind to her. Celestia let her keep living in her ancestral manor and instead used a nearby mountain upon whose side she built a small keep as well as a school..."

Harry's eyes widen. "Canterlot!?"

The blue Alicorn's smile is answer enough. "Yes." She frowns. "Celly had the school built and then invited Lepidoptera there to teach the subject she was most knowledgeable in... transformational magics."

Raising an eyebrow, Harry blinks. "She didn't act like Snape... did she?"

The lunar princess shakes her head in the negative. "Not at all actually." She then softly smiles. "No matter what problems she might have had with Celly, one of the things she learned from both Starswirl and Clover was how to be a professional when it came to teaching." She then looks towards Harry. "At the same time, other people settled around the school and the Keep. They were there mainly to supply both with various craft items and food. A few years later I joined in the building by opening a small manor that had labs for thurmatological research." She then chuckles. "It was during the construction that we found the caverns underneath and in the mountain."

Nightmare snorts a bit. "_The sheer amount of magic down there was incredible and the crystals and gems were exquisite for usage in thurmatological research._"

Luna nods. "And Lepidoptera used the caverns to conduct her research into transformational magics." Luna then lifts a hoof as she looks directly at Harry. "She recruited a number of fellow Unicorns interested in that particular school of magic and a number, like her, used the wing spell she created to show who they followed." Rolling her eyes, she sighs. "Of course, those ones also disliked Celestia. She also delved into spells having to do with the mind, in particular mind control, which worried both Celly and I. Of course, with how hers and Celly's relationship was, I was the only two who could talk to her without hatred coming into it." Frowning in remembrance, she shakes her head. "So many nights we spent discussing magical theories and gossip... we might well have become friends if we had, had more time."

Harry sighs as he leans back into Nightmare. "I kind of wish that I could have met her."

Smiling, Luna gives him a small nuzzle. "I wish that you could have too."

Harry suddenly frowns in thought. "You know, in regards to the research into mind control magic I just thought of something..." He then turns to Luna with a puzzled look. "One would think that after what happened with her, she would despise that subject and stay away from it."

Shaking her head, Luna sets him straight. "Actually Harry, that was the reason _why_ she was so interested in it. She despised it completely and, from talks I had with her, thought that the more she understood it the better ways she could create to fight against such." Wincing, she shakes her head. "Granted, her 'Want it, Need it' spell was terrifying in a number of ways." Humming in thought, Luna blinks. "I did love that scanning spell she made though."

That catches the attention of the boy wizard beside her. "Scanning spell?"

Luna nods. "Yes, an ingenious work of one I must say." She then taps her chin. "With normal scanning spells, the caster examines the magic of an object or creature outside of them. Problem being that there would be leakage from both the scanning spell itself and what was being examined interfering with the spell. She came up with a way though to get around that." A smile slowly blooms on her face. "A trained Unicorn mage would be able to sense their internal magics as this was quite important. What Lepidoptera's spell did was take a sample of the magic being examined and draw it into the caster. Once inside, it would be held by a bubble of sorts and the caster could examine it as if it was their own magic. This allowed a far better and clearer picture of the magic involved."

Luna watches Harry scrunch his eyebrows together in thought before smiling as he asks the question she was expecting. "Luna, that sounds just like how you and Nightmare give me magic at times, or how I give it to you."

Clapping her hooves together, the blue Alicorn gives Harry a proud look. "I knew that you would figure that bit out Harry. And you're right. It _is_ very similar and for good reason as Lepidoptera's spell is based on it." She then sobers. "Hers however can be dangerous to the caster."

Giving her a confused look, Harry frowns. "Wait, how...?"

Nightmare grunts and sighs. "_With the spell we use, the caster **gives** the magic. With Lepidoptera's, the caster **takes** the magic. I trust that you can see what issues might arise from such._"

Licking his now dry lips, Harry nods. "Yeah, you could drain someone entirely of magic." He blinks a moment later. "Though how that is dangerous to the caster outside of maybe overloading yourself..."

Luna nods. "That is one major issue with it." She then tilts a hoof. "Another being the fact that you have to hold the magic inside your system using a bubble of sorts. If the magic would have an effect, especially a deadly one, and should you lose concentration causing the bubble to pop..."

Shivering slightly, Harry rubs his arms. "Easy way to kill yourself."

Shaking her head as she sighs, Luna shrugs. "The final bit that makes it dangerous, is that the more magic you took in, the better the scan and understanding of how it works." She then looks directly at Harry. "And with how Lepidoptera was about gaining the knowledge, that led to a lot of magic to take in." Seeing a pebble, she kicks it away. "That led to a lot of fights between her and Celly as sister considered it too dangerous."

Grunting, Nightmare nods. "_Yes, those were rather large._" She then cocks her head to the side. "_Of course she started out..._" Chucking some, she continues. "_Small by using it on insects such as ants, bees, and such._"

Luna is quiet for a moment before sighing. "And that was how she created two spells from those experiments."

Now interested, Harry leans towards her. "What spells?"

Her lips twitching at how interested he is, Luna shakes her head. "One of them is a telepathic spell of sorts allowing for two minds to speak to each other. The second allows you to 'Link' in more then two together using the spell as long as you have a Pony acting as a central relay of sorts. This creates a method for fast information exchange between a group even faster then what speaking would allow." She then frowns. "Celly and I found that it's dangerous though later on as the longer they're used in combination, the more the other ponies thoughts will become 'in-sync' with the one being used as a central relay." Shifting a little, Luna shakes her head. "I don't know how far it would go as Celly and I stopped all usage of it once it became apparent that ponies were losing themselves in it."

Harry just shakes his head as he looks down at the ground. "Seems like she created a number of spells too dangerous for normal usage."

Nightmare rolls her eyes with a mock long suffering sigh. "_Back then, we were still trying to understand magic Harry. There were many spells created that had dangerous side-effects._" She then snorts. "_There spells that I, Celestia, and Starswirl created that were too bucking dangerous for even us to use unless there was no other resort._"

Luna nods as she glances at her darker self. "True." She then looks back at Harry. "She came up with many useful magics including methods to throw off mind control Harry. And then there were the mood effecting ones like the Unicorn version of the cheering charm. But she truly shone with transformational magics." She chuckles a bit, a smile of remembrance on her face. "There is an entire wing of full of transformation spells dedicated to her in Canterlot's school. Some are quite useful such as her scar removal spell that transforms scar tissue into normal skin and pelt. Back then, there were many who had disfiguring scars that were helped by her spell. And even 500 years or so after her disappearance and probable death, the knowledge she wrote down has been barely added to and some of it was only just starting to be confirmed through other sources when I came here." Shaking her head free, Luna continues the story. "Of course, after she created the telepathy spells, she dove head first into pure transformational magics."

Sneering, Nightmare snorts. "_Which caused no end of arguments with Celestia as Lepidoptera tried her best to outshine my sister by finding out more and more about transformational magic._" Closing her eyes, she softly sighs. "_Her push however lead to her end._"

Wincing, Harry hisses. "The accident."

Her lips a thin line, Luna nods. "Yes, the accident." Closing her eyes like Nightmare, she shakes her head. "Shortly before then, Lepidoptera managed to track down some carcasses of Shifters and had them brought to her lab deep within the caves." Opening her eyes, Luna tilts her head back to look at the stars as she continues softly. "When Celly found out, she was _furious_ about it." Shaking her head, she sighs. "Eventually she calmed down though and let Lepidoptera continue. Of course, that doesn't mean that Lepidoptera didn't cut some corners." She takes a moment to look at Harry out of the corner of her eye. "While there was magic still in the corpses, there wasn't really enough left. So, Lepidoptera used a spell and fed magic from her and her followers into the carcasses and converted it into the magic the Shifters used. Eventually, she had enough to perform her experiment and draw the magic out using her spell. The plan was for each member of her group to draw out some and then examine it while sharing the info among themselves with the hopes to get as much done in as little time as possible."

Harry looks down as he knows what's going to happen. "And then the accident occurred."

Luna simply nods. "Yes." Closing her eyes, she shakes her head. "I told Celly that assigning one of the Guards that she did was the wrong decision. The foal came from a family that blamed Lepidoptera for what had happened to her kingdom. And so, on the day that the experiment occurred, he was late for the briefing and when he showed up and saw her and her group drawing off a large amount of magic..."

Harry facepalms. "He thought she was up to no good."

Scowling, the lunar princess nods. "Yes. He tried to interfere and instead caused the whole thing to go off at once. The crystalline matrices around the cavern she was working in amplified the magic and caused a chain reaction." Hanging her head, Luna sighs. "Celly and I felt the vibrations from the explosion from all the way on the surface and by the time we got there, that area of the caverns collapsed into itself, sealing Lepidoptera, her fifteen followers, and a number of Celestia's Guards in there. A tomb for them all." She then frowns. "With the amount of dark magic in that area and the instability created, that section of the caverns was sealed off from the rest and abandoned."

Nightmare snorts as she shakes her head. "_Didn't take long for the rumors to start though._"

Harry raises an eyebrow as he looks at her. "Rumors?"

Luna nods. "Yes." She then snorts in derision. "With her gone, her family's manor was abandoned and eventually fell into ruin." Smirking, she shakes her head. "Soon afterwards of course rumors that it was haunted and that Ponies were found dead in it, almost mummified spread." Snorting again, she chuckles. "Never found any evidence to substantiate them though."


	10. Luna's Story Part 6

_Disclaimer: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is owned by Hasbro and Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling._

"Hello"-Normal Speaking

"_Interesting..._"- Nightmare Moon speaking.

'Huh'- Normal Thoughts.

'_All mine..._' Nightmare Moon's thoughts

* * *

Sitting down in the now reflexive state of Nightmare's body serving as a backrest for him, the three lapse into silence as they watch the rise of Equestria over the horizon of the moon. After hearing about Discord and Lepdioptera the day before, Harry knows why they're being silent and lets them stay that way for a while before turning to Nightmare and watches as she pushes her hoof through the moondust. He then turns to Luna and sees her looking up into the starry sky above as she sits next to him. Finally he sighs as he nods. "You guys don't have to tell me any more about what happened if you don't want to."

Sharing a look with her darker version, Luna shakes her head with a grimace. "No, you deserve this much." She then gets up and makes her way right next to Harry before sitting down and wrapping a wing around him. "Remember the old saying that hindsight is 20/20?"

Raising an eyebrow, the young wizard shakes his head. "It's always easier to see where we did wrong after time has passed."

Lips twitching a little, Luna nods. "It is." She then once more frowns. "But in my case, looking back on it, I can see where things started going wrong." She then turns to Harry. "I think it started back before Discord when I was an adviser like Celly."

Confused, Harry looks at her. "How?"

Sighing, the lunar princess shakes her head. "Back then, when Ponies came to advice, they really only came to me if Celly was unavailable." Seeing the frown on Harry's face, she holds up a hoof. "That's not to say that they didn't enjoy my advice or ignored it. But Celly was my _older sister_. And that meant that she was wiser and smarter then me, right?" Seeing the distaste on her friend's face, she laughs a bit. "Yes, it's quite silly I know. But things worked like that back then. The older you were, the wiser as you were supposed to be." Her soft smile soon turns into a frown as she continues. "However, that was only the beginning." Sighing, she continues. "Because they went to my sister, I was less well known. And after becoming a Princess, the fact that I spent more time alone working behind the scenes caused Ponies to see me as mysterious... and the incident with the Love Poison just made it worse."

Waving his arms, Harry shakes his head. "Wait, what? How did that make it worse?"

Nightmare scowls as she looks away. "_Rumors started up that I had wanted Celestia under the influence of the potion for my own goals. After all, being her sister I would have had to recognize that signs that she was under the some kind of outside influence._"

Harry's jaw just drops. "That's..." He then shakes his head before looking between the two of them. "And what did Celestia have to say?"

Going silent for a moment, Luna stares off into the distance. "She convinced me to let it go, that they would die away soon enough." She then shakes her head. "They didn't. Rather, the rumors spread." She then sadly chuckles. "And our attentions were drawn away by various issues that popped up."

Harry raises an eyebrow at this. "Issues?"

The blue Alicorn snorts. "Yes." Snorting again, her lips twitch into a small, bitter smile. "As it turned out, Discord had actually saved Equestria in a sense." Seeing the shocked look, she looks down and sighs. "After his defeat, the other countries around Equestria started falling apart. The first to go was Canis."

Interested, Harry cocks his head to the side. "Why?"

Shifting a little, Luna tilts her head to the side as she looks at him. "Canis was less of a country as it turned out and more of a giant pack. Like in the dogs you know, one Alpha ruled over the pack. In the case of Canis, this Alpha was the one who ruled over the strongest pack, which in turn ruled over the others. When Discord tore through, he wiped out most of the 'Alpha' packs and decimated the 'Beta' packs and the monsters he brought with him caused even more damage. The Omega packs, those considered to be the weakest pre-Discord, were now the strongest. However, there were so many, that the entire country soon descended into a civil war unlike any you've heard about."

Nightmare then grunts. "_There had to be at least a hundred Omega Packs and now with those above them weakened, they tore into them and each other trying to claim a spot as an Alpha pack as the Beta packs did the same._" She then shakes her head with a saddened look. "_It... did not take long before it spilled over into the neighboring countries._"

Knowing why she's saddened, Luna walks over and places a comforting hoof on Nightmare. "Some of the packs attacked the neighboring countries for resources and territory in order to fuel their fighting. Others were scattered bands broken off from fighting packs or were remnants of the defeated packs that had not been killed or absorbed." Looking up at the orb that is Equestria, Luna sighs. "The other countries stood no chance. They were already straining from internal and external conflicts such as a shifting of the power structure to monsters rampaging across the land. When the Canis Civil War spilled over into the neighboring countries, the waves of refugees from them swarmed into the other countries. Straining them past the breaking point and causing collapse."

Harry frowns at this. "Then why didn't you mention this happening to Equestria then?"

Luna and Nightmare share a look before the dark Alicorn answers. "_Because Harry... it didn't._" She then clears her throat a bit and clarifies. "_And by that I mean Equestria was pretty much unaffected by it._" Seeing his eyes widen, she shakes her head. "_None of the raiding canids, though some started referring to them as Diamond Dogs for their strange obsession with gems which they used as a form of wealth and to show power, or any refugee had tried to enter Equestria for a long time._" She then brings her head closer to his. "_You see Harry, they all thought that Discord was still around and in charge of Equestria. And so we had the time to rebuild what we could without worry of the other countries._"

Luna slowly nods. "Of course, we were pretty isolationist and the reputation of those countries were in tatters due to how they shrugged us off when we had asked for assistence. We simply thought that they were rebuilding like us and wanted nothing to do with Equestria... which, frankly, was just fine with us." She then holds out one foreleg with the hoof facing up before gesturing with it. "The first sign that we had was when a Canid pack ran into Equestria while escaping from another. They soon raided a village and found out that Discord was no more and due to that, they let the packs allied with them know and word spread."

Wincing, Harry shakes his head. "How soon did it take before one of them tried something?"

Grimacing, Luna shakes her head. "Not long at all. Some of them blamed us Ponies for what had occurred with Discord and so, one of the packs managed to raise a large army and attacked Equestria in the name of vengeance. It was truly the first test of the Equestrian Guard. But it took time to gather our forces, though thankfully we had help in delaying them." Seeing Harry cock his head to the side, Luna smiles. "Years before, I and Typhoon had went and gained an agreement with a old Great Wyrm known as Spykroplis and his mate, Amakirr. Of course, neither had a family and so had taken a small settlement of Ponies nearby as their own. And when the Canids had turned their attention to that village, they gained the rage of two very old, very powerful dragons."

Harry just blinks at that. "And they held off the Canids for Ponies?"

Nightmare nods. "_Yes._" She then sighs. "_Spykroplis and Amakirr had never had children as when they had met, they were too old to lay eggs. Instead, during the reign of Discord, they took in a group of orphans and raised them as their own. This group became the village at the bottom of the mountain where they lived with their cave right above them. When the Canids showed up and attacked, the dragons were on them almost immediately and drove them off. It gave us the time we needed to gather our forces and go on the offense._" Her eyes sparkle a little as she grins. "_And, of course, Spykroplis and Amakirr were pissed off enough that they joined up with us._"

Half sunk into remembrance, Luna looks upwards. "That began what some called the Century of War. For the next hundred years we fought various groups trying to tear apart Equestria for their own reasons. I was usually at the front with the troops while Celly was back at the Capital keeping support going among the nobility. Usually by flattering them with feasts and celebrations to keep the Ponies and the funds flowing from their personal domains and kingdoms."

Giving her an odd look, Harry raises an eyebrow. "So she was never there?"

Snorting, Luna shakes her head. "Oh, she was there alright from time to time. And trust me when I say that she could fight just as well as I could, she simply didn't like to." She then gives a soft smile of remembrance. "And Celly was always better at the social side of things then I was..."

Seeing her frown, Harry sighs as he realizes why. "And because of you always being at the forefront of battle, they thought that you were violent, right?" A slow nod is his only answer causing him to scowl. "Foals."

Giggling some, Luna soon becomes serious again as she lays a hoof on his hand. "Harry, I know how you feel. But as I have said it has been many, many years for me. But, in the end, i can partially understand where they might be coming from." She then leans downwards a bit and looks into Harry's eyes as she tilts her head. "Their parents and grandparents, having gone through Discord's reign, had given them everything that they themselves never had. And so... their children became, unseen to them, spoiled. Those who did not serve in the Guard could not understand what we went through and why."

Nightmare gives a snort as she smirks. "_It was also around this time that issues between us and the nobility started occurring. We also cemented the loyalty of our Guards at this time._"

Eyebrow raised, Harry turns towards her. "Oh? How so?"

Smirking, Nightmare tosses her head back some. "_When we were fighting, I was always with the soldiers at the front. I slept, ate, and faught in the same conditions side by side. The nobles did not like this as they saw it as beneath me, beneath our rank._"

Luna nods. "Celly always told me that we should act as we should for our station and behave as Princesses should. But..." Shaking her head slowly, she sighs. "I never could do that." Snorting, she looks at Harry. "I tried, I really did, but I always wound up once more in the same position as the normal ground soldier side by side with my personal Guard." Thoughtful, Luna looks up at the stars. "Celly and I approached our respective Commands in different manners." She then looks at Harry. "Part of that has to deal with what military we had spent the most time in. Celly was most used to how the old Unicorn Kingdom had done it. Whether I had the most experience with the Pegasi military and the old Earth Pony militias."

Looking between the two Alicorns, Harry blinks in curiosity. "What was the difference between the two?"

Nightmare hums to herself thoughtfully before answering. "_As you can rightly guess, in the Unicorn Kingdom's military, Officers were without question from the nobility while the footsoldiers were mainly from the lower classes. Now, that's not to say that a footsoldier could not rise to a Officer rank, but the titles they would be given would, at best, be only for them and unable to be passed down. And usually done only in times of war when more officers were needed. Otherwise, the only rank that a lower class citizen could try for that was higher then a footsoldier would be Knighthood or a War Mage._"

Nodding, Luna looks over at him. "And in the case of knighthood, like in your world, the Knight would normally take on a young colt or filly and train them in the ways of knighthood as a squire. That happened often with Celly and usually she joined the orders of Paladins, those Knights specializing in fighting monsters and healing the sick and injured with their magic."

Snorting, Nightmare shakes her head. "_Though for great deeds of valor and bravery in service of the Kingdom, one could be knighted as well._"

Clearing his throat, Harry catches their attention. "And... War Mages?"

Luna smiles before answering. "War Mages were a group that trained their magic for battle and battle alone. On the field of battle, they were completely terrifying to their foes as they used their spells to wipe out entire groups of troops or smash fortifications. Only the most powerful Unicorns could become a War Mage and the training was brutal as all their magical might was turned towards combat and combat alone."

Nodding, Nightmare sighs. "_Which was one of the reasons for their rarity in troop formations. Usually an army would have, at the most, five or six. Which, really, was usually all that was needed._" She then smirks evilly. "_And you can guess what we usually were when we joined the Unicorn militaries._"

Snorting, Harry gives her a knowing look. "That would be the epitome of a sucker's bet." Frowning, he continues. "And the Pegasi and Earth Ponies were different?"

Smiling, Luna gives him a nod. "They were." Frowning in thought, she furrows her eyebrows. "Earth Ponies didn't have what you might call a true army. Due to the taxation from both the Unicorns and Pegasi, they couldn't truly afford an army of their own. Instead, they had well trained militias. Groups of Ponies, usually colts and Stallions with some mares, who trained themselves in the art of combat alongside living normal lives."

Nightmare then gives Harry a hooded look. "_But don't think that they were pushovers. They weren't._" Shaking her head, she chuckles. "_While not as disciplined as the Pegasi or as powerful magically as the Unicorns, Earth Pony militia were feared for their ability to ambush their enemies and then fade into the surrounding brush. Their woodspony skills second to none. And, if they had to fight in a standup battle, then they would use their physical strength and durability to the best of their abilities making close combat suicidal. And if you gave them time to dig in..._"

Harry nods as she trails off. "It would take a lot more to dislodge them then would otherwise."

Nodding, Luna pats him on the shoulder. "Correct Harry." She then sighs. "Their chain of command, however, was very causal. What you might consider to be an officer would be just the most experienced among them and often times would treat their subordinates no different them they, themselves were treated. As Comrades in arms."Shaking her head, she continues. "Pegasi, on the other hoof, were much like your world's spartans in that they were born into the military." She then raises a hoof. "And the difference between them and the Unicorns was that the Officers would not be granted privileges much above the normal soldiers until well into the upper ranks. Their leaders were _very_ hooves on and, like myself later, would often be right there beside their own troops, eating much the same food, if a little better, fighting and dying."

Harry slowly smiles. "So you and Celestia had very different leadership methods."

The grin on Nightmare's muzzle is enough. "_Yes._" Smiling in remembrance, she sighs. "_My troops respected me greatly due to me going through the same things they did. There was no distance there._"

Frowning, Harry leans forwards as he looks between the two. "So then... what happened?"

Sharing a look with Nightmare, Luna sighs. "After the wars settled down to skirmishes, Celly and I realized we had an issue." Making a grand, sweeping gesture with a hoof, she shakes her head. "In the aftermath, we had conquered a great swath of the area around what had been our Kingdom, expanding it's boarders greatly and now had groups of non-ponies there. One day, my army was near the boarders when we came across one of the old Canis forts It was miraculously intact... But inhabited."

Blinking, Harry stares at her. "By the Canids?"

Luna slowly nods. "It was." Frowning, she looks at the ground. "However, remember how I told you that dragons had also torn apart and created their own little fiefdoms?" Harry begins to nod before stopping as his eyes widen. "Yes, this pack had been led by a dragon, a particularly nasty specimen who was likely to kill one of his subordinates as he was anypony else." Luna's expression slowly darkens. "He had recently raided Equestria and we had tracked him back to there. I was so angry, I challenged him to fight me one on one." A bloodthirsty grin appearing on her face, Luna chuckles softly. "The foal accepted and I slew him with little hardship." Noticing Harry looking somewhat unnerved, her expression softens. "However, I was not prepared for what happened next."

Chuckling, Nightmare shakes her head. "_What seemed like the entire pack, numbering a few hundred, came out with their captives and bowed before us. It was..._" She trails off for a moment before shaking her head. "_Needless to say I was surprised when they as one dropped all their weapons and bowed._"

Drifting off into her memories, Luna sighs. "Even though they were defeated, I wanted nothing less than to either drive them from our lands or slay them where they stood for the crimes against my subjects." She goes silent for a moment and then sighs as she closes her eyes. "And then... at the height of my fury as I stood above them with all the signs of battle on my armor and my troops awaiting me command... I saw... him..."

Confused, Harry cocks his head to the side. "Him?"

Nodding the lunar Princess continued. "Yes. Him..." Opening her eyes, she goes back to that day. "He was a young pup. Barely weaned from his mother. And yet, there he was, with the rest of his pack with his head bowed and touching the ground..." Sighing, she bows her head. "His mother at first tried to shield him from my gaze, but the movement of Typhoon beside me stopped her. He then looked up at me. And..." Trailing off, she swallows heavily before continuing. "And then he looked at me. And it struck me." Turning her shining eyes to Harry, she blinks away some tears. "This little pup, who had not experienced life truly... thought with near certainty that I was going to kill him." Swallowing again, she licks her lips as she shudders. "I couldn't do it. I just could not sentence such a little one to death, no matter how much I tried to harden my heart. So... I asked them why they bowed to me. And what they thought I might do to them. And their answer... was simple. " Trying to say something for a few moments, she finally sighs as she looks at Harry. "They told me that since I defeated the dragon, that I was now their Alpha. And, like the dragon did when it conquered them so many years before, that I was going to kill all those I wished to show my power."

Staring at her for a moment, Harry says his next words softly. "And yet you didn't." Blinking, he drops his gaze and looks at the various rocks at his feet. "Because, unlike the dragon, you're not a monster."

Luna is still for a moment and then nods. "Correct." Clearing her throat and shifting a little, she sighs. "Since I was their new Alpha, I ordered them to swear their allegiance to me and Equestria as a whole. They would gain their penance by working to build their new home and protecting it." Smiling, she shakes her head. "They agreed of course. Almost immediately."

Harry snorts a bit. "I can imagine how that went down with the nobles."

Snorting herself, the blue Alicorn grimaces. "It went down as well as you might think." She then hangs her head. "It was one of Celly's and I's greatest arguments." She then looks at Harry. "She was of the thought that allowing them to be our subjects might be a bad idea. After all, they were not Ponies and they had been our enemies so shortly before." Blinking, she turns to the horizon. "I told her that if that was true then Equestria should have never come about. After all, the three tribes were different and even more so, they had been enemies for centuries before then. And if we did not give the canids the chance for such reasons... then we were hypocrites of the highest order." Sighing, Luna closes her eyes. "She told me that she would allow it with some reservations... but that I was responsible for them."

Frowning in thought, Nightmare nods her head. "_They renamed themselves the Moon Clan in our honor. But... they gave us a key to stopping the other Canid packs._" She then turns to Harry. "_We went around for the next twenty years finding the various packs still roaming the areas we claimed as Equestria and challenging the Alpha's to leadership of their packs._" Snorting, she shakes her head. "_They always lost mind you, sometimes though we had to kill them, mostly, we left in them the place of our Beta. Ironically, the Canids were far more loyal then most of our Ponies._"

Luna nods. "Odd and yet true." She then looks at Harry. "During that same time, we also allowed other non-pony species into our Guard. Minotaurs, dragons, and so on. The fact that I was allowing those who had once turned their backs on Ponykind into my Guard was another reason for the friction between Celly and I as well as between me and the nobility." Her eyes slowly harden into a glare. "Some of them whispered that I was a traitor to Equestria for doing so." Seeing Harry about to say something, her hoof comes up. "To give my sister some credit, she made damn sure that they would get the idea not to say such things around her. It just drove it underground though."

Leaning back in thought, Harry frowns. "So Equestria expanded during this time?"

Smiling with a nod, the blue Alicorn chuckles. "It did." She then frowns. "Before being sent here, it was known as 'The First Age of Expansion' since Equestria more then doubled in size." Still frowning in thought, she continues. "In fact, that would set the stage for the... Civil War between my sister and I."

Taken aback by the depression and self-loathing in her voice, Harry lays a hand on her shoulder. "How so?"

Hanging her head with a sigh, the lunar Princess is silent for a moment. "By that time, I had been away from Equestria as a whole for a few generations. Neither Celly or I had given it any thought since to us it was but a blink of an eye, but due to that, I was barely known and as the 'Other Princess' then anything else as I had barely been seen. Celly, however, had become more and more popular as she would pull off celebrations and such on holidays such as her 'Summer Sun Festival' meanwhile due to my absence, the holidays under my purview, such as the 'Winter Moon Festival' had interest fade in them." Blinking a bit, she looks at Harry. "I was so busy with helping to set up and develop the outer reaches of Equestria, that I had not noticed this."

The larger, black Alicorn then continues. "_And it was a long, hard road as without a true government, I had to set everything up._" She then frowns. "As such, I used the old Unicorn tradition of giving new lands to those who had proven themselves the crown. As such, the nobility saw a influx of new noble families. Some of them caused a stir such as Earth Ponies now being part of the nobility. Others..." She then grimaces. "_Up to about fifty years in, the fort where we first became a Canid Alpha was part of our personal fiefdoms. We handed it over though to the same pup, now an old dog, who prevented us from driving them away. His name was Fangtooth and he had a long and decorated history in the Night Guard. We felt that giving it to him was the least that we could do._" Nightmare then softly smiles as a slightly teary look appears in her eyes. "_He would go on to rule it for five years before he died one winter's night. We gave him a funeral fit for one of his standing within our Guard... which a number did not like but abided by. Even Celestia showed up to mourn his passing._"

Smiling in fond remembrance, Luna nods. "Yes, and as time passed, his family would turn their lands into one of the most productive areas of Equestria and become well known for their metal and gemwork." Suddenly, she frowns. "However, things were not that rosy in other areas as some members of Celestia's Court convinced her that some of the newly gained lands should belong to them. And so, some of them were given to family members who had no lands of their own." She then shakes her head. "And so the whole area became, like the interior regions of Equestria, a patchwork of small kingdoms." Growling some, she continues. "And that's not mentioning how those I made nobility had been ostracized as they were 'Newblood' and thus could not understand the 'Old Ways' to say little of those who were not Ponies to begin with."

Groaning, Harry lays his face in his hands and shakes it. "And so tensions rose."

Nightmare nods. "_Yes. There was a lot of bad blood gathered that was not helped due to other issues._" Holding out a hoof, she shakes her head. "_And as time passed, those we rose to the nobility took us on as their main patron while the older families took on Celestia as theirs._" Bitterly chuckling, she grimaces. "_Thankfully, it eventually became less that some of the new nobility was non-Pony and more that they could not trace their ancestry with the nobility to before Discord._"

Also, grimacing, the younger looking Alicorn groans. "And it was then that I returned to Everfree Castle to discover that in the time that I was gone that I had nearly been forgotten. I... was not happy with Celly. Not at all." Her expression softening, she sighs with a soft smile. "However, Celly helped me start a project that I had wanted to do for a while. A series of schools for our subjects to learn in. Celly worked on the great academies while I helped fund and start many a small school in the outer areas for all. Back then, even having your average citizen able to read to an extent and do simple math was an amazing accomplishment."

Harry blinks a bit. "Sounds like truly an amazing thing that you two did."

Luna nods. "It was. The only issue I had with it was that I felt that it did not go far enough as We're talking what you would consider a second grade education for many while the nobility was able to go farther." Frowning with a sigh, Luna continues. "And during this time Celly and I got into several arguments. Mainly over things that should be done." Laying a hoof in the sandy ground, Luna starts drawing a small map with several dots inside it. Taps it. "At the time, the various communities were connected by dirt roads. Some of them not much better then a trail in the woods."

Nightmare then starts drawing lines connecting them, some of the dots with multiple lines leading from them. "_And so, we came forward with a major infrastructure project. Cobblestone roads, much like roman roads here in England, were to be built at first between the major settlements. Then they would be spread out to the smaller ones._" Stopping her drawing, she frowns. Stopping her drawing, she frowns. "_Everything seemed to be going well... at first anyways._" Using her hoof, she rubs the outlying ones out. "_However, we got word that the outer areas did not see any surveyors and worse, somehow the tax plan we had come up with had been modified so that the outer areas were paying more subjectively then the inner areas and for work that they were seeing none of._"

Stunned, Harry soon shakes it off. "Wait, are you joking?"

Snarling, Luna nearly spits before recovering herself. "I wish that she was, but she's not." Looking at her map, she glares. "The older Nobility were paying less taxes under the excuse that they had so many issues which to cover with what monies they did have. As for why it was only in their domains that work on infrastructure was happening..." Snarling, she slams a hoof into the ground. "They felt that the work should be done all in the central regions and then spread out to the outlying regions."

Harry glances at the map before frowning. "But... did Celestia agree with this?"

Luna just slowly nods. "She did." Blinking, she looks at the sky and slowly closes her eyes. "She told me that she has spoken to her advisers and she had decided that it would be far more organized to start at the central regions and expand from there. I agree now that I was a bit too hasty and wanted too much done too fast." The blue Alicorn then grimaces. "However. she would not interfere in the other issues." She then turns to Harry. "See Harry, as the network grew, we had the nobles quibbling and quarreling with the various surveyors and with those we had placed in the position of planning. They wanted to wring out every bit of advantage and profit that they could. And in that Celestia did not want either of us to interfere for fear of starting a conflict with the nobles." She then grimaces. "And the sight of myself quarreling with the Princess that was so beloved as Celly hurt my reputation even farther. And when added to the fact that there were creatures that lurked in the night and attacked Ponies despite all our Guards tried..."

Grimacing, Harry closes his eyes. "And so you slowly sank more and more into the shadow of your sister." Luna's silence is enough of an answer for him. "So was the whole network ever completed in the time you were there?"

Shaking her head, Luna sighs. "No it wasn't." She then purses her lips. "Eventually it got to the point where I created a group to monitor taxes to make sure that they were being gathered correctly. Needless to say, the nobility did not like this, but the outer regions for the most part accepted it. After a few decades of this, and Celly and I butting heads, we got word of the Griffin raids on the settlements near the mountains. Celly suggested that perhaps I should go and negotiate with them. After all, my experience with the Canids, by then almost unanimously called 'Diamond Dogs', and dragons showed that I was the better choice for us to go when carnivores were involved." She then gives a scowl. "Not to mention that Celly thought it best to give us both a time to cool down a bit and let things subside a bit." Clearing her throat, Luna resumes the story. "Anyways... And so, I took with me my personal Guards, Typhoon having since been promoted to the head of the Night Guard with Juniper as her second, came with me. I would spend the next fifty years coming back and forth between Equestria. Mainly so that I could change out the Guards with new ones besides Typhoon. Eventually, I managed to hammer out a deal with them."

Seeing the thoughtful look on Luna's face, Harry's eyes rise. "What is it?"

Luna snaps out of it and looks at him with a smile. "During that time, I managed to come across some vastly different clans of Griffins. While many were obviously of the descent from the Gryphon's serfs, others had supposedly different origins." Holding out a hoof, bottom up, she shakes her head. "According to them, they had fled from a land from far over the sea." She then gives Harry a bit of an odd look. "Never did find out the truth behind that." She then sighs. "Then I was called to the eastern territories as a another bunch of Canid packs had decided to try for Equestria. I subdued them, but that took time." Shaking her head, the lunar Princess continues. "Of course, I eventually returned to Equestria, only to find that the group that I had created had for the most part been defanged. According to Celly, it was because some of the nobility had threatened some actions and she had done so to keep the peace. I can see that now, as the various alliances that were around at the time could theoretically cause disruptions if they chose to do so I know from how she acted that she hated doing so, but at the time, I felt like I had been backstabbed due to being away. It was compounded by the fact that it was at this time that I discovered that Ponies feared my night and locked themselves away from it and had done so for many years." Closing her eyes, a few tears leak from them. "Nights that I had done my best to make as lovely as possible."

Hugging her, Harry lets her lean into him. "And that was where it truly began, wasn't it?"

Sniffling, Luna nods as Nightmare leans her head on Harry's shoulder. "It was Harry. I turned to making my nights more and more beautiful... Only for them to ignore it." She then gulps a little. "And then I found out how, in my absence, various artists, inventors, and scientists had started not only rediscovering the knowledge from before Discord, but surpassing it... and so I thought that by becoming a patron of some, that I could help rebuild my image..."

Scowling, Nightmare growls. "_But it did not turn out that way._" Her scowls soon softens. "_They either wanted nothing to do with us or those who chose to accept out patronage soon found themselves ostracized for their choice._"

Luna grimaces a bit, but nods. "Yes, and so our only choice was to be an anonymous patron." She then sighs. "And around this time that 'Poltergeist' appeared." None of them notice the slight shiver run through Nightmare. "All of that combined to send me on a downward spiral. Not helped, in the least, by the fact that Celestia was so busy at this point that by the time she set the sun, she only wanted to sleep. I, on the other hoof, had barely anything besides my own plans." She then saddens even farther. "I tried to hold festivals, celebrations and parties... only for almost no one to show."

Blinking, Nightmare leans into Harry. "_We felt abandoned by almost all. We had spent so much time away that many wondered as to why we were there._" She then gulps a little. "_I remembered one of our biggest fights with Celestia before the end..._" Shifting a little, she looks at Harry directly over his shoulder. "_We had a group come to the Night Court who wished for our help. They had come from a farming and craft producing community. Seems that the road they traveled to a nearby city passed through several fiefdoms who each had toll booths. As it was a many day journey, it combined with the taxes meant that they were not making as much as they should. And so, we decided that perhaps we should do something and promised them so._" Looking at the small map, she slowly draws a line. "_There was a stream that we ordered our surveyors to turn into a canal between this town and the trading cities. It took twenty years, but they did so..._"

Seeing the narrowed look, Harry frowns. "What happened?"

Nightmare scowls a bit before stamping her hoof. "_Celestia placed higher tolls on the canal then there were on the road. And so, she made us into liars._"

Luna frowns a bit at her darker self. "I wouldn't go that far." She then looks at Harry. "According to Celestia at the time, she did so because the communities along the road now lost a source of income and trade. This was because, while stopped for the night, the farmers and craftsponies would pay for food an lodgings or trade some of their goods. I can see the wisdom now, mind you. But then..."

Harry sighs. "At the time and in the state that you were in, you didn't want to hear excuses."

Luna nods. "Quite." She then shakes her head. "I had not wanted to hear any of it, as now the community that I had tried to help, instead spread the news that, in the end, I could not help any pony, and at best I could only maintain the status quo." Looking into the distance, a far off look enters Luna's eyes. "It was at that point that I started pushing Celly away from me. I... I just..." Hanging her head with a sigh, Luna continues. "I felt that there were times that one should push while Celly felt a lighter touch all the time was better." Blinking away something, Luna disengages from the hug as she stands up. "That was about a hundred and twenty years before my... war."

Harry gets to his feet as Nightmare does as well. "I thought that you asked her if she could take over raising the sun for a day?"

Luna nods. "Yes." She starts walking as Harry follows on one side with Nightmare on his opposite. "I would, over the next twenty years, butt heads with the nobility of the central regions as around now they began using every trick they could to drain the outer regions of their riches." Shaking her head, she looks at a crater. "And then came that awful day. I had heard a noble speak that perhaps it was for the better if they did away with the night. That... I was no longer needed and more trouble then I was worth. I... was angry, frustrated, and most of all depressed." Turning to Harry, Luna gives him a saddened look. "I dread to think of how much trouble I might have caused my sister in those twenty years as no doubt she had to put out many of the small brushfires I started. And so, having seen how tired she had been, I offered to take over for a day. To raise the sun and hold the day court." Suddenly stopping, the Alicorn stares at the orb of the green and blue planet above them. "She laughed at me. Not, as I thought in a mocking way, but more as a older sister might when it comes younger sibling asks to do something that they are not yet old enough or strong enough to do."

Nightmare shakes her head as she, too, stares at the planet above them. "_Afterwards, I heard that some thought that I was trying to usurp my sister's place._" She then turns and lowers her head to look Harry in the eyes. "_And so, I decided that I was going to prove to Celestia... prove to them **all** that I was strong enough! That I was good enough to be their princess!_" She then frowns. "_It didn't help matters though that around this time both Juniper and Typhoon took a break from the Night Guard._"

That causes Harry to whip his head around in surprise. "Wait, what?"

Luna softly giggles some. "They seemed to have fallen in love with a Earth Pony stallion. He was blind curiously, but I think in that case it helped. They thought that I didn't know of course." Shaking her head slowly, the giggles come to a stop. "They settled together in one of Juniper's old hideouts. A house built into a hillside which was just outside Everfree Glade. They later had children. Juniper's was an Earth Pony while Typhoon's was a Pegasus." She then sighs sadly. "However, as with many things in their long lives, their children eventually grew up as their love died of old age."

Nodding, the larger black Alicorn sighs. "_And once their children were grown they came back and rejoined the Guard._" She then waves a hoof. "_By which point I was already delving deep into various mystic arts._" Shaking her head, Nightmare snorts. "_And so things went as the next century passed. Slowly, but surely tensions between the outer and inner portions of Equestria raised. Mayhaps we might have been able to do something if we helped Celestia at this time, but we had wanted nothing to do with her at that point as she had seemed to disliked our ideas immensely._"

Luna slowly nods. "We might have prevented the coming civil war." She then shakes her head. "About twenty years before, one of Fangtooth's descendents, Chrys, joined the Night Guard as was traditional. At around the same time, Typhoon found a Hippogriff who's parents had been killed due to monsters. His name was Talon and like Chrys, when the war finally came to pass, he was among my personal Guard." She then glances at the boy walking beside her. "As we have already told you of our transformation, we won't bore you any farther with that. However, our transformation occurred just as the civil war broke. It was on one of the last days of autumn that we arose in our new state."

Nightmare hangs her head. "_We immediately took control of one of the three factions in the Civil War. Celestia took control of another with the neutrals, lead by the Mi Amore family trapped in the middle._" She then closes her eyes as if in great pain. "_The war lasted six months that winter and into spring. The whole time Celestia and Us were fighting magically for control over the heavens. It was... bloody, brutal, and many things that come with such a war. Our Night Guard, long angered over being dismissed as a lesser Guard, clashed in the sky and on the ground with the Day Guard. Many of the nobility in the outer reaches sided with us while those in the central regions sided with Celestia. Others, the neutrals, played both sides in many cases._"

Turning, Luna regards Harry. "In the end, we tried one last gambit." She looks towards the horizon and stops. "We had been stymied long, but had constructed a large spell array and using it, teleported our armies to Everfree Glade. There, I met Celly one last time in combat. We each unleashed spells beyond count. Both of us drew heavily from our respective celestial objects for energies as we flung ever more powerful techniques at each other, tearing apart the land and sky. Finally... We saw her fall towards the castle far below, badly injured. Diving, we landed just as she hit the ground..."

Nightmare then sneers. "_However, we weren't the only intelligent ones as at that time she sprung her trap._" She then smirks. "_She had set up a spell array designed to bind our power and body for a time. How she pleaded with us to turn away from our path..._" Trailing off, Nightmare blinks away a tear. "_We told her however that things had gone too far, that there was no where to go but the end..._"

Harry's eyes widen. "And that was when she used the Elements... wasn't it?"

Luna nods. "Yes." She then closes her eyes. "And I could see how much it tore her apart on the inside to do it. At that moment Typhoon, Juniper, Talon, and Chrys all jumped in the way of the beam... only for it to do nothing." She then looks around. "I have searched long and hard for them to see if they are here... but they are not. They were our most loyal of servants and perhaps... if we had thought of it... they might have become our friends."

Speaking in an almost whisper, Nightmare continues. "_I too have searched, only to find nothing._" She then blinks. "_At that moment, I could feel my power torn apart, with at least some sealed here in the moon. When we next awoke..._" She doesn't have to say anything as Harry pulls her into a hug along side Luna...


	11. Celestia's Story Part 1

_Disclaimer: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is owned by Hasbro and Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling._

'_Dearest Luna..._' - Celestia's writing translated from Early Modern Equish

* * *

'_It has been done. After six moons of fighting and war, I have finally defeated my sister... no, not my sister, but something that had possessed her for my Luna could have never have done what this, Nightmare Moon did. But, just the same, while I may have won our conflict and saved my little ponies from an era of darkness, I have also suffered my greatest loss._

_That of my sister._

_I was so sure that if I could entrap her that I could use the Elements of Harmony and through them, free my sister from the grip of the darkness upon her. And then things could have gone back to how they were between us before... before our falling out. We would cry, have a nuzzle and embrace, before we forgave each other like we always have before when we fought. But... it did not work out that way. I forced the Elements to work for me alone and used them on Nightmare Moon. Her Generals, always loyal to Luna, stepped in the way and were hit as well. And then, as the rainbow swirled around her, I saw my sister as the darkness was stripped away and felt joy in my heart._

_But my dream was not to come true. It was to become a **nightmare**._

_For in the next moment, I saw a expression of betrayal directed at me come across my beloved sister's face as well as anger and disbelief and then... then..._

_I am sorry my dear journal, it is most hard to write, but write it I shall._

_For then, you see, the Elements' blaze closed in on her and then swirled upward, locking her into her beloved moon. I... I could not believe what had happened. I did **not** want to believe that I have sentenced my sister to such a fate. Even now, as those who followed me are still yet celebrating, I gaze up from my cot to my sister's moon and see her shadow upon it, mournfully looking down at me... or is it accusing me? I dare not consider it too deeply._

_My only hope, though, comes from the Elements of Harmony themselves. Back when I was but a student under Starswirl, I remember one conversation between us and Clover, may her gentle soul rest in the endless plains. He believed that powerful magical objects could, over time, develop an... **awareness** about them. It would take time, but it would happen. And, when my sister disappeared, the Elements contacted me. They revealed, though not through words as much as... a feeling, I suppose the best word would be, that her punishment would be to stay upon the moon, so far away from those whose love she sought, for a thousand years. Or at the least, that is my personal interpretation. _

_A thousand years without my beloved little sister. How can I manage... But for her sake, I shall._

_But that was not all... There are four stars around the moon guarding it, which, once more, I received the oddest feeling from the Elements which told me were Luna's loyal Generals. Their souls, guarding her prison silently for the next thousand years._

_And then they turned to me. I have never felt such feelings of disappointment before coming from something. Once more, I have to state that from what I experienced, the Elements of Harmony do not speak as a being such as you or I, but communication using emotions... sensations. What they say is open to interpretation, though from my studies under Starswirl so long ago, I do not think myself wrong. In this case, I believe that they told me that while they would not send me away, like they had my sister as I was needed to protect and serve Equestria, they would punish me for my part in the loss of Harmony between us. I... I am at a loss my dear journal. Is my interpretation of what I had felt that horrible night correct? That I am at fault? As selfish as it is, I wish that it were not so._

_But as to my possible punishment, I am at a loss. What is it? Is it not enough to be without my sister, she who has stood beside me throughout the past centuries, my unchanging anchor, for a thousand years? Is it not enough that I also have to live with the fact that I broke the promise I had made with my parents, to protect my sister? To love her? To always be there for her and to put her above myself?_

_Perhaps... perhaps it is that as well as the pain I suffered as they tore the connection that I had with them to shreds? A pain that tore at my very soul in that time? An agony beyond any that I have felt in all my thousands of years of life?_

_I know not..._

_And I cannot put into words how much that frightens me..._'

* * *

'_It has been a week since last I wrote._

_A week of pain and relief. Of joy and grief. So much has happened that I do not know where to start. So, perhaps... I should start with something that may sound a little vain._

_My mane has changed. It was once a soft sparkling pink, the color of the sunrise with the sparkles looking much like dew when the light of the dawn catches it. But now... now more colors, those of Harmony itself, makes up my mane._

_I hate it._

_Every time I see my reflection, my mind drifts back to when I used the Elements against my sister. When my little Luna was hit with magic the same color as my mane is now. I have tried to stop my mind from doing so, but it still does so despite this. Is this part of my punishment? To always have my mind drift back whenever I see my reflection?_

_And yet, that is but the tip of the iceberg. For I now have to raise the moon to bring on the night. But, whenever I do so, when my magic connects with it... I am struck by a unimaginable wave of sadness, grief, anger, hatred, and, worst of all, betrayal and loneliness. And I know that these are Luna's emotions and to feel them... It tears a hole in my heart that I fear may never heal though ages yet may pass._

_Then there are the stars. I have been asked by those who followed me to change the night sky to commemorate my victory over my 'Evil sister' and my conquest of my new dominion. Such foals if they think that I will change one of the few things that I have of my sister. Why would they even think that I would do as such I wonder? No matter, eventually it shall settle down._

_They also asked that I strip the noble titles of those who fought on my sister's side of the war and hand it over to those who fought with me as 'Payment'. I... do not understand this. In fact, they some seemed to be angry when I said that I would not. I wish to reconcile all the differences that caused this war. It may yet be a long and hard road, but I am certain that we can put this behind us._

_There was also, unfortunately, a tragedy. As I lay recovering from my wounds, one of my own Generals of the Day Guard spoke of executing those of the Night Guard. Fortunately, I managed to prevent such and told them that while they may be punished, they would not be killed. That was not the last of it though as my Court, acting in my stead without my permission, had them forcibly disbanded. While most went back to their homes with anger in their hearts, my personal spymaster noted that a group of several hundred Pegasi fled before they could have their armor confiscated and the Royal Guard spells placed on them dispelled. Where they have gone, neither I nor anypony knows as they flew into a raging storm and were gone. Also, the locations and exact numbers of the rest of the Night Guard, who were not at that battle, are unknown as of now._

_And then there are the dreams. I swear that I can hear me and Luna having conversations in them, but... they are not clear. Perhaps in time, I shall see them fully. And speaking of dreams, without my sister sheparding them as she has for centuries until recently, the realm they occur in has darkened. I fear for what this may mean..._

_And finally, I have decided against counsel to move the capital from the ruins to Canterlot. Most of my court has argued against it stating stability but... but I can not stay here. What happened with my sister was but the latest in the tragedies that have occurred here over the centuries. My parents and uncle's deaths... Discord's first appearance and the final battle against him... my sister's fall... So much. Too much._

_I fear that if I stay here, where I can see ghosts from the edges of my sight of my sister crying, of my parents watching me in disapproval... I fear that what happened to Luna may yet happen to me..._

_Before I leave though, I shall make the journey to where Luna has hid her own notes and journals and have a look within for clues as to what may have happened with her. Perhaps, once she returns, I can use what may be within them to help her._'

* * *

_A year... it has been a full year since my sister's banishment. Oh, looking back on it what a foal I was to think that everything would have gone back to how it was. The Harmony that once was now lays shattered upon the cobblestones of the old capital and old hatreds burn bright once more. Tensions have once again risen in the aftermath of the war and there have been... reprisals, against those who followed my sister. Just the other week, an entire household was killed when their water source was poisoned. There have been no signs as to whom may have been behind a heinous act, but with how some of my court has reacted, I fear that they may yet be involved._

_And then there comes that I have begun to discover what happened with my sister's fall. There are her journals in which she speaks of the pressures that the nobility placed upon her as well as... what I had done. I almost do not wish to read more of them then what I already have, for if what I am suspecting is true... then I, myself, may in fact be responsible for what occurred. This is something that I hope is not true. But whether I continue reading them or not, I shall still find out as I have found out the last of my punishment._

_My dreams._

_For within my dreams I have been seeing various incidents from my younger sister's perspective. Feeling what she's feeling, hearing what she's hearing... And every morn I awake with wet cheeks from having cried over the night as I slept. I know that these are **her** memories that I am reliving. I have felt the pure loneliness she had when no one came to her Night Court. I have felt the anger she has had at members of the nobility... and myself. More then that, I have recently held a Night Court of my own._

_And nopony ever appeared._

_When I went back over the minutes from past Night Courts, something that I have never done to my ever lasting shame, I have found them almost empty with only a few visits within a year. I find myself at a loss that it was so bad. I never realized... No, I have no excuse here. And there is yet more. I was asked to disband the Night Court permanently and to either cut back on the amount of night time hours or abolish it entirely. I had to explain why there needed to be a night, and how it was for balance._

_And yet they were still angered. Oh, dearest Luna, I am sorry that I never truly understood what you had meant..._'

* * *

_Three years... three years of loneliness... I have also been most busy dealing with the duties that both me and Luna handled separately. I never had an idea that dealing with the Kingdom's finances was so difficult. The mathematics are highly complicated and hard, so much so that I sometimes wonder if dear Luna had used a spell to do the work for her. And the costs of rebuilding are especially hard to include..._

_As well, the stress is currently getting to me. I am still sometimes catching sight of her, curled up and weeping from being alone, in the corner of my eye. And when I turn, she is gone as if she was never there. Sometimes I also hear mother's and father's voices when I am alone. Both are angry with me for having broken my promise to them and verbally rip me apart. I know that it's not them, that they would never have said some of the things that I have heard, but there are times now when I am alone within the darkness of the nighttime hours, that I wonder..._

_And then there how I have been feeling ill for the last week. It is most particular as I have been rarely sick, especially to this extent. But for some mornings now I have felt the need to get up in order to empty my stomach. My head has also been aching to the point where I have trouble thinking at times through the pain. Though my body has also hurt with my joints feeling at times as if they were on fire. It is most particular, though I believe that it is due to the great guilt that I must now live with. For I have heard that those with broken hearts suffer outwardly. And it does indeed feel as if my heart has been torn beating from my chest at times, especially during the night when I catch my reflection and that of the stars or moon._

_The nobility has also been acting most strange. There are members of my court who have become more and more concerned as the time has worn on and my current illness has stayed. I am warmed by their worry and concern of course, what... monarch, and I use that term with derision, would not feel the same? But there is something... something that does not quite fit. I do not know what it is, for the feeling that generates such is in the back of my mind like a rodent, slowly chewing on a wall, but something about them does not fit. It is as if they are concerned for me while at the same time, they are not._

_They have also been asking for more powers and responsibilities beyond those that they have already been given. This began in the wake of my current illness. The arguments that I have heard for them to be given more powers range from giving me time to rest and recuperate to my current state having an effect upon the nation. I have however not given in and granted them more ranging powers. I am not yet so ill and weak as to need to do such as they're asking. I have however become most angry about the attempts for them to have me to teach the spells to move the sun and the moon across the sky. The sheer nerve of such!_

_I shall never allow them to handle my sister's moon! No, there is none other then myself who I can trust with this duty. It is my burden and my burden **alone** to move my sister's most precious object..._

_To move her **prison**..._

_Luna... my dear sister..._

_By the everlasting sky above do I miss her. I once heard a poem wherein the speaker said that 'One never knows what they truly have until they lose it all'. And with Luna's fall and imprisonment, I cannot but feel that that is true for me, that I have lost all that is of worth. I have now realized, with each passing day and night, what she was to me. She was more then **just** my sister. She was also my closest companion, my very best friend and confidant. I remember how she would always listen to my worries and sooth them. Much like I used to for her... until I forgot to do so. Until I let her worries stew... And now... now there is no pony to which I can speak to. None except for you, dearest journal for dear Philomena has not yet returned from the millennial phoenix flocking. And if the other times that she has gone one them is anything to base an estimate on, then she shall be gone for at least a decade, possibly two. But even she is not and could never be a replacement for the companionship I had with Luna..._

_I have never felt so alone in my long centuries and it is but three years into a thousand..._

* * *

_Poison._

_Such a small word to denote such a horrendous act._

_I have found out the source of my illness and it is that. I am ashamed that I had never considered the possibility that one would try such on me. Oddly, I can almost hear Luna's voice in my head, chastising me for my lapse._

_As to how I found out, it was... something that I am almost too embarrassed to admit to even here, in writing. I was laying upon my bed as I mentally reviewed the day's events with my balcony doors open, hoping for some relief from being cooled by the gentle night breezes. I was feeling most unwell at the time, so I was hoping that the night would strip away the stifling heat of the daytime hours and cool me. As I laid there though, a large biting insect flew in and had alighted upon my leg. So exhausted was I, that I could not be bothered enough to knock it away. It then bit me and drank my blood..._

_And then it fell over, dead._

_Shocked by this, I cast a spell and found that it had died from poison. I then used the same spell on myself and found that I, too, had been poisoned. In fact, to my growing horror, if I had been anything **but** an alicorn, I would have succumbed long ago. As it was, I was growing progressively weaker over time and might well have become so weak before I had realized that I could not have put up a fight against an assassin. Thankfully, I know a spell to help speed up the filtering of a poison, though it shall take a while for me to recover my original strength._

_The question now though, is whom was it that has poisoned me? Though there may be more then one conspirator as there are more then one poison within my blood. It shall be weeks before they are all cleared out I fear._

_Was it perhaps renegades that still follow my sister and now seek revenge for her defeat and banishment? I do remember reports from my spy masters as to how members of the Night Guard have vanished into thin air these past few years, though that could be due to attacks upon them._

_Or, as much as it may pain me, are there those who stood beside me during those dark days in the fight against my sister that may now be prepared to slide a blade between my ribs? With their movements to obtain more power, I must wonder and cannot dismiss the possibility._

_To catch them shall take cunning and the all my ability to act..._

* * *

_And so I have managed to catch some of those responsible. How? I acted as if I was getting weaker and weaker while in fact I was slowly recovering. Some illusion spells and they thought that I was still eating and drinking the food that I was given, not knowing that at night I would simply bring individual leaves and blades of grass from the palace gardens as well as magically gathering small clouds to drink from. I kept an eye out and was not disappointed as just last night, an assassin entered into my room_

_I must admit that I took no small amount of pleasure in how surprised he was that I was not quite as weak as they had thought, though I was far from fully recovered. After a short fight, I subdued him and got the information that I needed as to whom he was obeying. It appeared that a group of nobles within my court sought to depose me. I only wish though that I could have had them tried for high treason, but what happened next rendered that wish null and void._

_For a spell had been placed upon the assassin that activated at exactly that moment and slew him, though I suppose that it was but a mercy for him. His death then activated yet another spell, one that I recognized as having been used originally by the Royal Gryphons. I was a fool not to have checked for such before hoof. The spell itself was designed to slay dragons by paralyzing them and disrupting their natural magics enough to allow them to be more easily killed. Such a spell is a sickening thing as it uses a sacrifice to work. For a normal unicorn, it would have been a death sentence while for myself, at my normal strength it would have only staggered me._

_In my current, weakened state, the effects were much closer to how it would have effected a dragon as it left me paralyzed and weakened. And to my horror, the disruption of my magic was enough to prevent myself from casting any spells. It was then that the door to my chambers opened and two of my own Generals and their personal Guard entered as they escorted four nobles._

_The very same ones whose images I tore from the assassin's mind before it broke entirely._

_As I laid there, unable to move, their leader, Solanaceae, walked up to where I lay with the most vile expression on his face. Unlike in some of the stories that I have read, there was no great reveal, no bragging about his plan coming to fruition. He simply, and slowly, raised his sword's blade which dripped with some form of poison above his head and told me that the reign of the alicorns had entered and that it was now time for the **true** nobility to take their place as the ruler of the masses as was their destiny._

_A moment later the thud of a blade meeting flesh echoed through the air and the sword fell to the flagstones as the magic that held it vanished. Solanaceae then toppled over dead, the dagger that was buried hilt deep in the back of his head revealing what had killed him. It was then that my shock started to ebb and I heard the sounds of fighting around me, just out of sight, through the sprays of blood and gargles let me know that one side was losing. All of a sudden, everything went silent at once as the fight ended as quickly as it had begun. Yet still unable to move or even speak, I simply laid there as I cursed the world, wondering which enemy may have arrived to take advantage of my current state._

_I waited and steeled myself as I heard the soft sound of unshod hooves as they stepped toward me. They slowly circled my body just out of view, and I know that it was a group because I counted no less then four different individual ponies from the sounds of their hooves. Finally, one of my rescuers came into view..._

_It was, to my surprise, one of my sister's own Guard! I could not tell whom it was thanks to the black fabric that stretched across where their muzzle was while the rest of the head was underneath a helm, though the armor identified them as a member of the Night Guard. I must have had an expression of surprise and shock on my face, even through my paralysis, because he chuckled as he ripped his dagger out of Solanaceae's head._

_He then leaned down and quietly explained to me, my sister's last standing orders to them, her troops, if she had happened to fall in battle. If my sister was to have fallen in battle, then they were to continue to serve and protect Equestria and myself from within the shadows and night. He did not tell me much more then that though. which I could understand due to the sometimes tumultuous relationship that my own personal Guard had with them at times. The Guardspony did tell me that I could, if ever needed, get in contact with them via the Moon Clan Diamond Dogs. Something that I suppose should have been expected._

_I will admit, that while part of me was touched by this gesture from my sister that showed a part of her still yet cared for me and our subjects, there was also shame and guilt. Shame for the fact that I, myself, had issued no similar orders. Guilt that she not only thought that I would exile her or worse, but that I had actually proven her right without meaning to._

_The Night Guard waited and stood there throughout the coming hours, silent and yet comforting in a way for I somehow **knew** that they would give their lives for me if needed. Not surprising as during the war, they would stand their ground and die in situations when other forces except for my elites would have broken and ran. It was a few hours before the dawn when found myself slowly able to move. They waited until I could once more defend myself and before my startled eyes, they seemed to fade into the darkness and vanish like the mists do upon the dawn._

_It was soon after that the next rotation for my Guard arrived to find me barely standing amongst several bodies including that of the assassin. I was most... **displeased** with them. Due to that, I have called a Grand Assembly, the first since just before the war. For with this, my patience has now worn down to but a thread..._

* * *

_War..._

_It is always and always has been such an ugly word. No matter the cause or meaning nor the reasoning behind it's conception. For the past seven years, since that attack so long ago, tensions have mounted between I and a group a nobility. A faction that refers to themselves as the "Loyalists"._

_I cannot help but sneer at the word being as the only thing that they are loyal to is their power and what they consider to be the old ways. And now, almost a decade after, the festering wounds from the Civil War have once more been brutally torn open. For years I have found myself in a political tug of war with these Loyalists as I have tried to limit and take back the powers that they had taken during the war thanks to **Emergency Measures**. If it had stayed that way, within the court, I could well have dealt with it._

_However, there have been murmurings from my spymasters, those whom I know that I can trust after a fashion. Various small kingdoms have been mobilizing small militias in order to deal with "Bandits". There is also how there has been several cases wherein nobles have been... hard... on their subjects while blaming me for it. Rumors that have been painting me as a tyrant. I know for a fact that I have never ordered such crackdowns, and that most have been performed by the Loyalists, who I know would never do such if I had ordered it as they have told their citizenry._

_But even all that has not brought about this newest conflict. No..._

_Two days ago, they issued an ultimatum for me to step down and prevent bloodshed after which, they would create a a hierarchy of nobles to rule. In reply, I told them that if they were to take up arms against me, I would see them and their descendants broken before me, all power having been taken back by the crown. While some of them were nervous, they told me that any farther bloodshed would be upon my crown._

_And then they left._

_So now I sit within my castle, my eyes wet as I contemplate the coming months and possible years of bloodshed. Beside me are reports from the scouts, claiming that there are armies already on the move... I feel as if I have failed everything and everypony that I have ever known in my life with what is about to happen._

_And I ask for forgiveness that I know shall never be mine..._


End file.
